Sending signals for help during an emergency event

ABSTRACT

A method for requesting help during an emergency event using a client device. The client device shows live video of the emergency event and provides a GUI element (e.g., panic button) in the GUI after receiving an input such as a touch gesture or keyboard input from the user. The user may select the button in the GUI to simultaneously request help from emergency services and neighbors. The request for help includes a link to view the live video.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED MATTERS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/368,651 filed Mar. 28, 2019, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Home security is a concern for many homeowners and renters. Thoseseeking to protect or monitor their homes often wish to have video andaudio communications with visitors, for example, those visiting anexternal door or entryway. A/V recording and communication devices, suchas doorbells, provide this functionality, and can also aid in crimedetection and prevention. For example, audio and/or video captured by anA/V recording and communication device can be uploaded to the cloud andrecorded on a remote server. Subsequent review of the A/V footage canaid law enforcement in capturing perpetrators of home burglaries andother crimes. Further, the presence of one or more A/V recording andcommunication devices on the exterior of a home, such as a doorbell unitat the entrance to the home, acts as a powerful deterrent againstwould-be burglars.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various embodiments of the present sending signals for help duringan emergency event now will be discussed in detail with an emphasis onhighlighting the advantageous features. These embodiments depict thenovel and non-obvious sending signals for help during an emergency eventshown in the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposesonly. These drawings include the following figures, in which likenumerals indicate like parts:

FIG. 1A is a schematic front view of a client device that provides auser interface including a panic control button for silently sendingpredefined emergency signals and sharing live A/V data of an emergencyevent with other devices, according to various aspects of the presentembodiments;

FIG. 1B is a schematic front view of a client device that provides auser interface for editing and sending customized emergency message(s)associated with the live A/V data of an emergency event, according tovarious aspects of the present embodiments;

FIG. 1C is a schematic front view of a client device that provides auser interface for sending emergency message(s) and sharing live A/Vdata associated with an emergency event with emergency services andneighbors, according to various aspects of the present embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system forcommunicating in a network, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an A/V recording andcommunication device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating one example embodimentof an A/V recording and communication device, according to variousaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating one example embodimentof a backend device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating one example embodimentof a client device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating one example embodimentof a smart-home hub device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for silentlysending predefined emergency signals to, and sharing live A/V data with,other devices in response to receiving input, according to variousaspects of the present embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a functional diagram illustrating an embodiment of a systemfor sending emergency signals and sharing live A/V data captured by oneor more A/V devices, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of a client device that may receive anemergency notification from the client device of a neighbor, accordingto various aspects of the present embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for silentlysending predefined or customized emergency signals to, and sharing liveA/V data with, other devices, according to various aspects of thepresent embodiments;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for editing andsending customized emergency message(s) associated with the live A/Vdata of an emergency event, according to various aspects of the presentembodiments;

FIG. 13 is a functional diagram illustrating an embodiment of a systemthat uses several A/V devices to capture and share the live A/V dataduring an emergency, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 14 is an example sequence diagram illustrating data items exchangedbetween devices in a communication system for silently sending emergencysignals to, and sharing live A/V data with, other devices, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a geographic network of users,according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a signal diagram of a process for streaming and/or storingA/V content from an A/V recording and communication device, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a signal diagram of a process for initiating avideo-on-demand session for A/V content from an A/V recording andcommunication device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram of a client device on which thepresent embodiments may be implemented, according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One aspect of the present embodiments includes the realization thatconventional client-device applications for A/V recording andcommunication devices (also referred to herein as “A/V devices”) do notprovide direct and discreet (e.g., silent) access to law enforcementagencies and/or neighbors during an emergency event. A conventionalapplication for a client device associated with an A/V device mayprovide a user with video footage of a live event recorded by a cameraof the A/V device. However, if the live video shows an emergency event(e.g., an imminent threat), the user may not be able to directly, andquietly, contact law enforcement (or the user's neighbors) to ask forhelp. To report an emergency event (e.g., a burglary in progress), theuser may have to exit the client-device application that is playing thelive video and dial an emergency number (e.g., 911 in North America).The process of exiting the application and dialing an emergency numbercan consume precious time in a situation where every second may becritical to avoiding serious harm. More importantly, in a periloussituation, such as when an intruder is entering (or is inside) thehouse, speaking over the phone, or making any type of noise, may drawthe intruder's attention and put the user in even more serious danger.

The present embodiments, as described in detail below, solve thisproblem by providing a control button (e.g., a silent panic button) forquietly contacting emergency services (e.g., local police or other lawenforcement), and/or neighbors, while a live video of an ongoing eventis displayed on a client device. In some of the present embodiments, thecontrol button may be presented in response to a touch gesture or otherinput on a display of the client device (e.g., pressing a finger on thescreen for a predetermined time period, pressing and dragging a fingeron the screen, tapping on the screen a predetermined number of times,etc.). In other aspects of the present embodiments, the control buttonmay appear on the screen under other circumstances. For example, in oneaspect of the present embodiments, the panic button may be displayedanytime live video footage is played. In another aspect of the presentembodiments, the video footage may be analyzed first (e.g., through acomputer vision process), and the panic button may be presented only ifsuspicious activity is detected in the video footage.

In some aspects of the present embodiments, the panic button may bedisplayed over the live video while the video is displayed on thedisplay screen of the client device (e.g., partially covering a portionof the video). In some of the present embodiments, the panic button mayappear under other circumstances. For example, in one aspect of thepresent embodiments, the panic button may appear on a prerecorded video(e.g., of a past event). As another example, the panic button may appearany time a particular input is received (e.g., a particular touchgesture) while the client-device application is executing.

In some of the present embodiments, when a user selects the panic button(e.g., by tapping on the button displayed on the screen), a new windowthat includes a predefined emergency message may be presented to theuser. In some instances, the predefined emergency message may bemodifiable by the user. Also, in some of the present embodiments, theemergency message may indicate that the user is in imminent danger ofharm and needs immediate help. In one aspect of the present embodiments,the window may also include an option for including in the message alocation (e.g., an address or an approximate address) of the propertywhere the A/V device is located. The window may also provide a buttonfor sending one or more emergency signals to other electronic devices.

In some of the present embodiments, a first emergency signal may be sentto one or more servers associated with emergency services (e.g., one ormore law enforcement agencies). Also, in some of the presentembodiments, a second emergency signal may be sent to a set ofdesignated client devices. Examples of designated client devices mayinclude, but are not limited to, a set of client devices assigned by theuser (e.g., client devices belonging to family members, friends,specific neighbors, etc.), a predefined set of client devices (e.g., theclient devices of all users that live within the same geographic area,or the same neighborhood where the A/V device is located, and aremembers of the same geographic network of users (e.g., an A/V dataexchange group), etc.). In some of the present embodiments, when thelive video footage is received from an A/V device that is installed at aproperty within a neighborhood, the second signal may be sent to atleast one client device of every user that is associated with the samegeographic network of users. In some aspects of the present embodiments,the neighborhood area may be predefined (e.g., based on boundaries ofthe neighborhoods in a city). In some of the present embodiments, theuser may be able to modify the predefined neighborhood areas and/orboundaries.

In one aspect of the present embodiments, a first emergency signal maybe sent to emergency services immediately after the panic button isselected, and a second emergency signal may be sent to other designatedusers after another window is opened for receiving additional userinput. The additional user input, may include, but is not limited to, adescription of the emergency event, a selection between the exactaddress or a general location for the property (e.g., to be sent to theneighbors), etc. In some other aspects of the present embodiments, thefirst and second emergency signals may be sent, respectively, to the lawenforcement agencies and the neighbors' client devices directly afterthe selection of the panic button. That is, in some embodiments, whenthe user selects the panic button, the emergency signals may be sent outwithout opening or activating any other window (e.g., for receiving theadditional user input).

In some aspects of the present embodiments, in addition to the first andsecond signals that are sent, respectively, to emergency services anddesignated users, other signals may be sent to other devices. Forexample, in one aspect of the present embodiments, if the client deviceis associated with an alarm system (e.g., when an alarm/security systemis installed at the property), a signal may be sent to a monitoringcenter that monitors the alarm/security system. In another aspect of thepresent embodiments, when the user selects the panic button, anactivation signal may be sent to the other A/V devices that areassociated with the property where the A/V device that has captured theemergency event is located. The activated A/V devices may startrecording the surroundings of the property to record other potentialperpetrators situated around the property, and/or record the sameperpetrator moving to different locations around the property.

The emergency signals, in some of the present embodiments, may include,but are not limited to, (i) an emergency message (e.g., with or withoutuser modification), (ii) an address associated with the property atwhich the A/V device that is providing the A/V data is installed (e.g.,the exact address of the property, or an approximate location associatedwith the property), and (iii) a link (e.g., a Uniform Resource Locator(URL)) to the video (or at least a portion of the video), etc. In someof the present embodiments, the emergency signal that is sent to the setof designated users may include a specific type of notification (e.g., apush notification) to draw the designated users' attention, and toprovide the emergency message and/or the link to the video footage whenthe designated users acknowledge the notification (e.g., by tapping onthe notification window).

In some aspects of the present embodiments, no panic/emergency signalmay be sent to any other device, until and unless a moderating centerconfirms the emergency event. That is, in some aspects of the presentembodiments, after a user selects the panic button (or the submissionbutton on the second window that opens in response to the selection ofthe panic button), the video footage and the emergency message are firstsent to one or more servers for a moderator to review. Only afterconfirmation of the emergency event by the moderator, the abovedescribed emergency signals may be sent to the other electronic devices(e.g., the law enforcement devices, the neighbors' client devices, themonitoring center devices, etc.). In one aspect of the presentembodiments, the moderator may have the ability to modify the message(that may have or may have not been modified by the user) and/or thevideo footage.

The remaining detailed description describes the present embodimentswith reference to the drawings. In the drawings, reference numbers labelelements of the present embodiments. These reference numbers arereproduced below in connection with the discussion of the correspondingdrawing features.

In some aspects of the present embodiments, a panic button may bedisplayed (e.g., on a display of a client device) in response to aninput (e.g., a touch gesture on the display of the client device). FIG.1A is a schematic front view of a client device that provides a userinterface for receiving input (e.g., touch gestures) in order to presenta control button (e.g., a panic button), and to silently send predefinedemergency signals and share live A/V data of an emergency event withother devices, according to various aspects of the present embodiments.The figure illustrates, through four stages 101-104, a client device 100receiving a notification 135 about a live (or ongoing) event generatedby an A/V recording and communication device, opening an applicationthat provides the notification 135 and displays the A/V data, displayinga panic button 190 for sending an emergency signal(s) in response toreceiving a touch gesture, and transmitting the emergency signal(s) toother electronic devices once the panic button is selected.

With reference to FIG. 1A, stage 101 shows a graphical user interface(GUI) 120 displayed on a display (e.g., a touch screen) 130 of a clientdevice 100, which may include several selectable user interface (UI)items (e.g., icons) of several applications 125. The client device 100may receive a notification message 135 about a live event recorded by anA/V device associated with the client device 100.

The event notification 135 may include text identifying the type of theevent (e.g., a detected-motion event, a doorbell button press event,etc.). The event notification in some aspects of the present embodimentsis a push notification that may be displayed on the display 130 of theclient device 100 even when the client device 100 is not executing anapplication for management and control of the A/V device(s) (e.g., whenthe client device 100 is hibernating, when the client device 100 isexecuting another application unrelated to the management and control ofA/V device(s), etc.).

In some aspects of the present embodiments, the event notification 135may be displayed on the display 130 of the client device 100 when theclient device 100 is in a locked mode. In some aspects of the presentembodiments, a device is in the locked mode when only a reduced set ofcontrols can be used to provide input to the device. In some aspects ofthe present embodiments, when the display 130 of the client device 100is turned off (e.g., to save battery power), the client device 100 mayturn on the display 130 and display the event notification 135. Inaddition to, or in lieu of, displaying a banner, the client device mayplay an audio sound (such as one or more tones, one or more chimes,etc.) and/or the client device may vibrate one or more times to draw theattention of the user of the client device. In the example of FIG. 1A,the A/V device where the event is occurring is called “Front Door”(e.g., a video doorbell installed at the front door of a house), and thenotification 135 indicates that a person is detected by the “Front Door”video doorbell. The person might have been detected by activating one ormore motion sensors of the video doorbell, and/or by activating (e.g.,pressing) a doorbell button of the video doorbell.

Stage 101 also shows that the user selects the notification 135 to openthe application through which the notification is received (e.g., anapplication that is associated with the A/V device(s) of the user) andto view live video associated with the notification 135. Although theterm video (or video clip) is used in several examples in thisspecification, the present embodiments are equally applicable to videoclips with audio, video clips without audio, audio clips without video,and a group of one or more still images.

With continued reference to FIG. 1A, the application may be opened bytapping a finger on the notification 135 (e.g., through a touch contactwith the client device's display at, or around, the location of thedisplayed notification 135) or through other techniques (e.g., using apointing device if the client device is a laptop computer or a desktopcomputer).

Stage 102 of FIG. 1A shows that after opening the application, livevideo (e.g., received from an A/V device associated with the clientdevice 100) is displayed in the display area 180 on the display 130 ofthe client device 100. The display area 180 may further include one ormore UI items 150-153 that may establish or disconnect a communicationchannel between the user of the client device 100 and the person in thelive video (e.g., through the client device 100 and the A/V device thatis recording the live A/V data). When the first UI item 150 (“reject”)is selected, in some of the present embodiments, any establishedcommunication (e.g., video) between the user of the client device andthe person in the live video may be terminated, and the transmission ofA/V data may be stopped. In some of the present embodiments, when thesecond UI item 151 (“accept”) is selected, a two-way audio communicationchannel may be established between the user operating the client device100 and the person in the live video. When the third UI item 152(“mute”) is selected, in some of the present embodiments, two-way audiocommunication between the user and the person in the live video maybecome one-way audio communication. When the fourth UI item 153(“additional options”) is selected, a set of new UI icons (e.g., forturning on the lights of the A/V device, turning on a siren of the A/Vdevice, etc.) may appear on the display 130, in some of the presentembodiments.

Stage 102 also shows that the user is performing a specific touchgesture on the display 130 of the client device 100 in order for a panicbutton to appear on the display 130. For example, as shown, the user'sfinger 185 touches an area of the display 130, while the video isplaying, and the user drags the finger 185 across the display 130 (e.g.,in an upward direction). Some embodiments may present the panic buttonin response to other types of touch gestures, and/or in response toother input types that are not touch gestures. For example, in oneaspect of the present embodiments, the panic button may appear on thedisplay 130 in response to the user pressing a finger on the display 130and holding the finger on the display 130 for a predetermined timeperiod (e.g., 3 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.). In another aspect of thepresent embodiments, the panic button may appear on the display 130 inresponse to the tapping of a finger on the display 130 a certain numberof times (e.g., 2 times, 3 times, etc.).

With continued reference to FIG. 1A, stage 103 shows that in response tothe specific touch gesture (e.g., the touch gesture shown in stage 102),a panic button 190 has appeared in the display area 180 over thedisplayed video. Some of the present embodiments may provide the panicbutton 190 to the user to quietly contact emergency services, and/orneighbors (e.g., pre-designated neighbors), when the user sensesimmediate danger and does not wish to make noise that might drawattention from an intruder.

Stage 103 also shows that the user may perform a touch gesture (or anyother type of input) to send one or more emergency signals to theelectronic devices of emergency services (e.g., law enforcementagencies, emergency responders, etc.) and/or neighbors. In some aspectsof the present embodiments, the emergency signal(s) may be sent to theelectronic devices of emergency services and to the client devices(e.g., the client devices) of the neighbors directly after the selectionof the panic button 190. In these embodiments, in response to theselection of the panic button 190, the emergency signals may be sent outwithout opening or activating any other window (e.g., for receiving anemergency message from the user, as described below with reference toFIG. 1B).

As shown in stage 103, the user may press a finger 185 on the display130 of the client device 100 in an area where the panic button 190 isdisplayed, and may hold the finger 185 on the display 130 for a specifictime period (e.g., 3 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.). In some of the presentembodiments, a simple selection of the panic button 190 (e.g., bytapping on the panic button 190), and without any particular touchgesture (e.g., holding the finger for a time period), may result in thetransmission of the panic signal(s) to the other devices. Alternatively,the user may select an option such as the return button 191 to cancelthe sending of the emergency signal(s) and/or the sharing of the liveA/V data.

In some of the present embodiments, the emergency signal may be sent(e.g., to the designated devices of emergency services and/or neighbors)as a text message (also referred to as a short message or a shortmessage service (SMS) message) that may include a predefined messageand/or a link (e.g., a URL) for receiving live video of the emergencyevent. In other embodiments, the selection of the panic button 190 maysend a message from the client device 100 to a networked server (e.g.,as described below with reference to FIG. 9), and the networked servermay send a message to the designated devices (e.g., as a text message ora message that is sent through one or more networks 912 of FIG. 9).

Stage 104 of FIG. 1A shows that in response to receiving the specifictouch gesture (or other type of input) in stage 103, the emergencysignal(s) are sent to the other designated devices and a confirmationwindow 195 appears on the display 130. The confirmation window 195 mayconfirm that the live video is being shared with, and one or moreemergency signals have been sent to, the designated emergency servicesand/or neighbors. The confirmation window 195 may also display themessage 160 that is sent to the designated devices. In otherembodiments, the confirmation window 195 may just confirm that theemergency signal(s) has been sent. For example, the confirmation window195, in some embodiments, may display a message such as: “The live videois being shared with, and an emergency signal has been sent to, thedesignated emergency services and neighbors.”

In some aspects of the present embodiments, the panic button 190 mayappear on the display 130 automatically and without any userintervention. For example, in some of the present embodiments, when theuser selects a push notification that notifies the user of activity nearan A/V device (e.g., the push notification 135 in stage 101 of FIG. 1A),the video footage associated with the push notification may first beanalyzed (e.g., through a computer vision process) by one or moreservers. The panic button 190 may then be presented on the display 130(e.g., over the video footage) automatically when suspicious activity isdetected in the analysis of the video footage. In some such embodiments,stage 102 of FIG. 1A may be skipped.

In some of the present embodiments, after the emergency signal(s) aresent to the designated emergency services and/or neighbors, the user maybe provided with an option to send an additional customized emergencymessage to further describe the emergency event. In some of the presentembodiments, the user may be provided with options to provide the exactaddress or an approximate location of the emergency event. FIG. 1B is aschematic front view of a client device that provides a user interfacefor editing and sending customized emergency message(s) associated withthe live A/V data of an emergency event, according to various aspects ofthe present embodiments.

FIG. 1B, as shown, includes four stages 105-108. In stage 105, a message171 is displayed in a display area 170 on the display 130 of the clientdevice 100 to provide an option for generating and sending a customizedmessage to the designated devices of emergency services and/orneighbors.

In some aspects of the present embodiments, the message 171 may bedisplayed after the panic button 190 (FIG. 1A) is selected and beforethe live A/V data is shared with the designated devices (e.g., asdescribed in stage 104 of FIG. 1A). In other embodiments, the message171 may be displayed after the live A/V data is shared with thedesignated devices (e.g., the message 171 may be displayed after stage104 of FIG. 1A). In yet other aspects of the present embodiments, themessage 171 may be displayed after the panic button 190 is selected anda link to the live video footage and an emergency signal have been sentto emergency services (but before any emergency signal has been sent tothe neighbors' devices).

With further reference to FIG. 1B, the user may choose (e.g., byselecting option 172) to not generate and send a customized emergencysignal. However, in the example of FIG. 1B, the user selects option 173in stage 105 to generate a customized message. Thus, in stage 106, adefault message (e.g., a message that is sent to the designated devicesin stage 104 of FIG. 1A) may be displayed in the display area 174 inorder for the user to edit the default message and generate a customizedmessage. In other embodiments, the area 174 may initially be blank andinclude no message. In stage 106, an indicator (e.g., a cursor point)176 may identify the point that may be affected by an input from theuser. If the display 130 of the client device 100 is a touchscreen, arepresentation 177 of a keyboard may be displayed on the display 130 ofthe client device 100 for receiving the user input. Also, in stage 106,an option 188 may be provided for canceling the editing and sending ofthe emergency message.

With further reference to FIG. 1B, stage 107 shows that the user hasgenerated a new message in the display area 174 (e.g., by using thekeyboard 177). The display area 175 may further provide an option 178for including the exact address of a location where the A/V device thatis capturing the live A/V data is located. The display area 175 may alsoprovide an option 179 for including an approximate location of where theA/V device that is capturing the live A/V data is located (e.g., anearby intersection, a city block, etc.).

As shown in stage 108, the user may select the option 178 to send theexact address. After one of the options 178 or 179 is selected, thecustomized message in the display area 174 may be sent to the designateddevices (e.g., as a text message from the client device 100 or as amessage from a networked server as described below with reference toFIG. 9). In some of the present embodiments, in addition to, or in lieuof, the options 178 and 179, an option (e.g., a submit button (notshown)) may be provided for sending the customized message to thedesignated devices.

FIG. 1C is a schematic front view of a client device that provides auser interface for sending emergency message(s) and sharing live A/Vdata associated with an emergency event with emergency services andneighbors, according to various aspects of the present embodiments. FIG.1C illustrates an aspect of the present embodiments in which a window160 may open after the panic button is selected. The window 160 may beused for receiving additional user input (e.g., as described above withreference to the window 170 of FIG. 1B), as well as confirming thesubmission of the emergency signals. FIG. 1C illustrates, through fourstages 111-114, a client device 100 receiving a notification 135 about alive (or ongoing) event generated by an A/V recording and communicationdevice, opening an application that provides the notification 135 anddisplays the A/V data, submitting one or more emergency signal(s) toother devices once a panic button is selected, and receiving aconfirmation after the emergency signal(s) is/are submitted. In theexample of FIG. 1C, the A/V device where the event is occurring iscalled “Backyard” (e.g., a security camera or a light camera asdescribed below with reference to FIG. 2), and the notification 135indicates that a person is detected by the “Backyard” A/V device. Theperson might have been detected by activating one or more motion sensorsof the A/V device.

Stage 111 is similar to stage 101 of FIG. 1A. After the selection of thenotification 135, the application through which the notification isreceived is opened in stage 112, and the display area 140 displays livevideo transmitted to the client device 100 from an A/V device. Stage 112is similar to stage 103 of FIG. 1A, and includes a panic button 145 thatpartially overlays the video shown in the display area 140. In someaspects of the present embodiments, the panic button 145 may bedisplayed (e.g., over live video) each time a live video is displayed onthe display 130. The live video, in the second stage 112, may show thata suspicious person is standing in the field of view of the camera. Someof the present embodiments may provide the panic button 145 to the userto quietly contact emergency services, and/or neighbors (and to sharethe video with emergency services and neighbors), when the user sensesimmediate danger and does not wish to make noise to draw attention. Instage 112, the panic button 145 is selected.

With further reference to FIG. 1C, stage 113 shows that after selectionof the panic button 145 a predefined emergency message 161 may bedisplayed in a display area 160 on the display 130 of the client device100. In some of the present embodiments, the emergency message 161 mayindicate the user is in imminent danger of harm and needs immediatehelp. The display area 160 may also provide a submit button 163 forsubmission (e.g., transmission) of the text message.

In some aspects of the present embodiments, a predefined emergencymessage, such as the emergency message 161, may be displayed, and theuser may have the option to modify (e.g., edit) the displayed text(e.g., delete the message, add to the message, or change the message).For example, the user may select the message 161 (e.g., by tapping onthe message 161 if the display 130 of the client device 100 is atouchscreen, or by selecting the message 161 with a pointing device suchas a mouse) in order to edit the message 161. The user may then edit themessage as described above with reference to stages 106-107 of FIG. 1B.In other embodiments, the message 161 may not be editable.

After the display (and potential modification) of the emergency message161, the user may select the submit button 163 to confirm the emergencyevent and to share the emergency message 161 and at least a portion ofthe video shown on the display area 140 with other devices (e.g.,emergency services' devices, neighbors' devices, etc.). The user mayalso cancel the sending of the emergency message and the sharing of thelive A/V data by selecting an option such as the return button 191.

Stage 114 of FIG. 1C shows that in response to the selection of thesubmit button 163 in stage 113, the emergency signal(s) have been sentto, and the live A/V data has been shared with, the other designateddevices, and a confirmation window 196 has appeared on the display 130.The confirmation window 196 may confirm that the live video is beingshared with, and an emergency signal has been sent to, the designatedemergency services and/or neighbors.

Although not shown in FIG. 1C, the display area 160 in stage 113 mayinclude other items in some aspects of the present embodiments. Forexample, in one aspect of the present embodiments, the display area 160may include an option for choosing (e.g., through a checkbox item, aradio button, etc.) between sharing an address related to the propertywith the neighbor devices or not. In some of the present embodiments,the user may have a choice (e.g., via a selection item such as item 178of FIG. 1B, a checkbox item, a radio button, etc.) to select the relatedaddress to be the exact address of the property. The user may also havea choice (e.g., via a selection item such as item 179 of FIG. 1B, acheckbox item, a radio button, etc.) to select the related address to bean approximate address (e.g., a general address associated with theuser's property such as the nearest intersection, a city blockidentifier, etc.).

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system 200 forcommunicating in a network, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Home automation, or smart home, is building automation forthe home. Home automation enable users (e.g., home owners and authorizedindividuals) to control and/or automate various devices and/or systems,such as lighting, heating (e.g., smart thermostats), ventilation, homeentertainment, air conditioning (HVAC), blinds/shades, security devices(e.g., contact sensors, smoke/CO detectors, motion sensors, etc.),washers/dryers, ovens, refrigerators/freezers, and/or other networkconnected devices suitable for use in the home. In various embodiments,Wi-Fi is used for remote monitoring and control of such devices and/orsystems. Smart home devices (e.g., hub devices 202, sensors 204,automation devices 206, a virtual assistant (VA) device 208, audio/video(A/V) recording and communication devices 210, etc.), when remotelymonitored and controlled via a network (Internet/a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN)) 212 (which may be similar to, and representthe network 112), may be considered to be components of the “Internet ofThings.” Smart home systems may include switches and/or sensors (e.g.,the sensors 204) connected to a central hub such as the smart-home hubdevice 202 and/or the VA device 208 (the hub device 202 and/or the VAdevice 208 may alternatively be referred to as a gateway, a controller,a home-automation hub, or an intelligent personal assistance device)from which the system may be controlled through various user interfaces,such as voice commands and/or a touchscreen. Various examples, of userinterfaces may include any or all of a wall-mounted terminal (e.g., akeypad, a touchscreen, etc.), software installed on the client devices214, 216 (e.g., a mobile application), a tablet computer, or a webinterface. Furthermore, these user interfaces are often but not alwayssupported by Internet cloud services. In one example, the Internet cloudservices are responsible for obtaining user input via the userinterfaces (e.g., a user interface of the hub device 202 and/or the VAdevice 208) and causing the smart home devices (e.g., the sensors 204,the automation devices 206, etc.) to perform an operation in response tothe user input.

The hub device 202, the VA device 208, the sensors 204, the automationdevices 206, the A/V recording and communication devices 210, and/orclient devices 214, 216 may use one or more wired and/or wirelesscommunication protocols to communicate, including, for example andwithout limitation, Wi-Fi (e.g., the user's network 218), X10, Ethernet,RS-485, 6LoWPAN, Bluetooth LE (BLE), ZigBee, Z-Wave, and/or a low powerwide-area networks (LPWAN), such as a chirp spread spectrum (CSS)modulation technology network (e.g., LoRaWAN), an Ultra Narrow Bandmodulation technology network (e.g., Sigfox, Telensa, NB-IoT, etc.),RingNet, and/or the like.

The user's network 218 may be, for example, a wired and/or wirelessnetwork. If the user's network 218 is wireless, or includes a wirelesscomponent, the user's network 218 may be a Wi-Fi network compatible withthe IEEE 802.11 standard and/or other wireless communicationstandard(s). Furthermore, the user's network 218 may be connected toother networks such as the network 212, which may comprise, for example,the Internet and/or PSTN.

The system 200 may include one or more A/V recording and communicationdevices 210 (alternatively be referred to herein as “A/V devices 210” or“A/V device 210”) (which may represent, and/or be similar to, the A/Vdevices 910 of FIG. 9). The A/V devices 210 may include security cameras210(a), light cameras 210(b) (e.g., floodlight cameras, spotlightcameras, etc.), video doorbells 210(c) (e.g., wall powered and/orbattery powered video doorbells), and/or other devices capable ofrecording audio data and/or image data. The A/V devices 210 may beconfigured to access a user's network 218 to connect to a network(Internet/PSTN) 212 and/or may be configured to access a cellularnetwork to connect to the network (Internet/PSTN) 212. The componentsand functionality of the A/V devices 210 are described in more detailbelow with respect to FIG. 3.

The system 200 may further include a smart-home hub device 202 (whichmay alternatively be referred to herein as the “hub device 202”)connected to the user's network 218 and/or the network (Internet/PSTN)212. The smart-home hub device 202 (also known as a home automation hub,gateway device, or network device), may comprise any device thatfacilitates communication with and control of the sensors 204,automation devices 206, the VA device 208, and/or the one or more A/Vdevices 210. For example, the smart-home hub device 202 may be acomponent of a security system and/or a home automation system installedat a location (e.g., a property, a premise, a home, a business, etc.).In some embodiments, the A/V devices 210, the VA device 208, the sensors204, and/or the automation devices 206 communicate with the smart-homehub device 202 directly and/or indirectly using one or more wirelessand/or wired communication protocols (e.g., BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave, etc.),the user's network 218 (e.g., Wi-Fi, Ethernet, etc.), and/or the network(Internet/PSTN) 212. In some of the present embodiments, the A/V devices210, the VA device 208, the sensors 204, and/or the automation devices206 may, in addition to, or in lieu of, communicating with thesmart-home hub device 202, communicate with the client devices 214, 216,the VA device 208, and/or one or more of components of the network ofservers/backend devices 220 directly and/or indirectly via the user'snetwork 218 and/or the network (Internet/PSTN) 212.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the system 200 includes the VA device 208. TheVA device 208 may be connected to the user's network 218 and/or thenetwork (Internet/PSTN) 212. The VA device 208 may include anintelligent personal assistant, such as, without limitation, AmazonAlexa® and/or Apple Siri®. For example, the VA device 208 may beconfigured to receive voice commands, process the voice commands todetermine one or more actions and/or responses (e.g., transmit the voicecommands to the one or more components of the network of servers/backenddevices 220 for processing), and perform the one or more actions and/orresponses, such as to activate and/or change the status of one or moreof the sensors 204, automation devices 206, or A/V devices 210. In someembodiments, the VA device 208 is configured to process user inputs(e.g., voice commands) without transmitting information to the networkof servers/backend devices 220 for processing. The VA device 208 mayinclude at least one speaker (e.g., for playing music, for outputtingthe audio data generated by the A/V devices 210, for outputting thevoice of a digital assistant, etc.), at least one a microphone (e.g.,for receiving commands, for recording audio data, etc.), and a display(e.g., for displaying a user interface, for displaying the image datagenerated by the A/V devices 210, etc.). In various embodiments, the VAdevice 208 may include an array of speakers that are able to producebeams of sound. Although illustrated as a separate component in FIG. 2,in some embodiments the VA device 208 may not be a separate componentfrom the hub device 202. In such embodiments, the hub device 202 mayinclude the functionality of the VA device 208 or the VA device 208 mayinclude the functionality of the hub device 202.

The one or more sensors 204 may include, for example, at least one of adoor sensor, a window sensor, a contact sensor, a tilt sensor, atemperature sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, a smoke detector, a lightsensor, a glass break sensor, a freeze sensor, a flood sensor, amoisture sensor, a motion sensor, and/or other sensors that may providethe user/owner of the security system a notification of a security eventat his or her property.

In various embodiments, a contact sensor may include any componentconfigured to inform (e.g., via a signal) the security system whether anobject (e.g., a door or a window) is open or closed. A contact sensormay include first and second components: a first component installed onthe object itself (e.g., the door or the window); the second componentinstalled next to the object (e.g., on the door jamb). The first andsecond components of the contact sensor, however, need not actually bein physical contact with one another in order to be in the closed (notfaulted) state. For example, at least one of the first and secondcomponents may include a magnet, and the contact sensor may rely on theHall effect for determining a proximity of the first and second piecesto one another. When the door, window, or other object, is opened, andthe first and second components move apart from one another, the contactsensor may transmit an open signal to the security system (e.g., to thehub device 202). A similar process may be performed when the object isclosed. In some examples, a signal transmitted by the security system bythe contact sensor during opening and/or closing may be the same signal,and the hub device 202 may interpret the signal based on the known stateof the object (e.g., when a door is closed, and the signal is received,the hub device 202 may update the status of the door to open).

The one or more automation devices 206 may include, for example, atleast one of an outdoor lighting system, an indoor lighting system, andindoor/outdoor lighting system, a temperature control system (e.g., athermostat), a shade/blind control system, a locking control system(e.g., door lock, window lock, etc.), a home entertainment automationsystem (e.g., TV control, sound system control, etc.), an irrigationcontrol system, a wireless signal range extender (e.g., a Wi-Fi rangeextender, a Z-Wave range extender, etc.) a doorbell chime, a barriercontrol device (e.g., an automated door hinge), a smart doormat, and/orother automation devices.

As described herein, in some of the present embodiments, some or all ofthe client devices 214, 216, the A/V device(s) 210, the smart-home hubdevice 202, the VA device 208, the sensors 204, and the automationdevices 206 may be referred to as a security system and/or ahome-automation system. The security system and/or home-automationsystem may be installed at location, such as a property, home, business,or premises for the purpose of securing and/or automating all or aportion of the location.

The system 200 may further include one or more client devices 214, 216(which may represent, and/or be similar to, the client device(s) 100 ofFIGS. 1A-1C). The client devices 214, 216 may communicate with and/or beassociated with (e.g., capable of access to and control of) the A/Vdevices 210, a smart-home hub device 202, the VA device 208, sensors204, and/or automation devices 206. In various embodiments, the clientdevices 214, 216 communicate with other devices using one or morewireless and/or wired communication protocols, the user's network,and/or the network (Internet/PSTN) 212, as described herein. The clientdevices 214, 216 may comprise, for example, a mobile device such as asmartphone or a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a computing devicesuch as a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc.In some embodiments, the client devices 214, 216 includes a connecteddevice, such as a smart watch, Bluetooth headphones, another wearabledevice, or the like. In such embodiments, the client devices 214, 216may include a combination of the smartphone or other device and aconnected device (e.g., a wearable device), such that alerts, data,and/or information received by the smartphone or other device areprovided to the connected device, and one or more controls of thesmartphone or other device may be input using the connected device(e.g., by touch, voice, etc.).

The A/V devices 210, the hub device 202, the VA device 208, theautomation devices 206, the sensors 204, and/or the client devices 214,216 may also communicate, via the user's network 218 and/or the network(Internet/PSTN) 212, with network(s) of servers and/or backend devices220, such as (but not limited to) one or more remote storage devices 222(may be referred to interchangeably as “cloud storage device(s)”), oneor more backend servers 224, and one or more backend applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) 226. While FIG. 2 illustrates the storagedevice 222, the backend server 224, and the backend API 226 ascomponents separate from the network 220, it is to be understood thatthe storage device 222, the backend server 224, and/or the backend API226 may be considered to be components of the network 220. For example,the network 220 may include a data center with a plurality of computingresources used to implement the storage device 222, the backend server224, and the backend API 226.

The backend server 224 may comprise a computer program or other computerexecutable code that, when executed by processor(s) of the backendserver 224, causes the backend server 224 to wait for requests fromother computer systems or software (clients) and provide responses. Inan embodiment, the backend server 224 shares data and/or hardware and/orsoftware resources among the client devices 214, 216. This architectureis called the client-server model. The client devices 214, 216 may runon the same computer or may connect to the backend server 224 over thenetwork (Internet/PSTN) 212 and/or the network 220. Examples ofcomputing servers include database servers, file servers, mail servers,print servers, web servers, game servers, and application servers. Theterm server may be construed broadly to include any computerized processthat shares a resource to one or more client processes.

The backend API 226 may comprise, for example, a server (e.g. a realserver, or a virtual machine, or a machine running in a cloudinfrastructure as a service), or multiple servers networked together,exposing at least one API to clients. In various embodiments, thebackend API 226 is provided by servers including various components suchas an application server (e.g. software servers), a caching layer, adatabase layer, or other components suitable for implementing one ormore APIs. The backend API 226 may, for example, comprise a plurality ofapplications, each of which communicate with one another using one ormore public APIs. In some embodiments, the backend API 226 maintainsuser data and provides user management capabilities, thereby reducingthe load (e.g., memory and processor consumption) of the client devices214, 216.

In various embodiments, an API is a set of routines, protocols, andtools for building software and applications. Furthermore, the API maydescribe a software component in terms of its operations, inputs,outputs, and underlying types, defining functionalities that areindependent of their respective implementations, which allowsdefinitions and implementations to vary without compromising theinterface. As such, the API may provide a programmer with access to aparticular application's functionality without the need to modify theparticular application.

The backend API 226 illustrated in FIG. 2 may further include one ormore services (also referred to as network services). A network serviceis an application that provides data storage, manipulation,presentation, communication, and/or other capability. Network servicesare often implemented using a client-server architecture based onapplication-layer network protocols. Each service may be provided by aserver component (e.g., the backend server 224) running on one or morecomputers (such as a dedicated server computer offering multipleservices) and accessed via a network by client components running onother devices (e.g., client devices 214, 216). However, the client andserver components can both be run on the same machine. Clients andservers may have a user interface, and sometimes other hardwareassociated with them.

The network 220 may be any wireless network, any wired network, or acombination thereof, configured to operatively couple theabove-mentioned modules, devices, components, and/or systems asillustrated in FIG. 2. For example, the network 220, the user's network218, and/or the network (Internet/PSTN) 212 may include one or more ofthe following: a PSTN (public switched telephone network), the Internet,a local intranet, a PAN (Personal Area Network), a LAN (Local AreaNetwork), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network),a virtual private network (VPN), a storage area network (SAN), a framerelay connection, an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) connection, asynchronous optical network (SONET) connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 orE3 line, a Digital Data Service (DDS) connection, a DSL (DigitalSubscriber Line) connection, an Ethernet connection, an ISDN (IntegratedServices Digital Network) line, a dial-up port such as a V.90, V.34, orV.34bis analog modem connection, a cable modem, an ATM (AsynchronousTransfer Mode) connection, or an FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface)or CDDI (Copper Distributed Data Interface) connection. Furthermore,communications may also include links to any of a variety of wirelessnetworks, including WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), GPRS (GeneralPacket Radio Service), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication),LTE, VoLTE, LoRaWAN, LPWAN, RPMA, LTE Cat-“X” (e.g. LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat0, LTE CatM1, LTE Cat NB1), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), TDMA(Time Division Multiple Access), FDMA (Frequency Division MultipleAccess), and/or OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access)cellular phone networks, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), suchas global positioning systems (GPS), CDPD (cellular digital packetdata), RIM (Research in Motion, Limited) duplex paging network,Bluetooth radio, or an IEEE 802.11-based radio frequency network. Thenetwork can further include or interface with any one or more of thefollowing: RS-232 serial connection, IEEE-4024 (Firewire) connection,Fibre Channel connection, IrDA (infrared) port, SCSI (Small ComputerSystems Interface) connection, USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection, orother wired or wireless, digital or analog, interface or connection,mesh or Digi® networking.

The hub device 202, the VA device 208, and/or any of the components ofthe network(s) of servers/backend devices 220 (e.g., the backend server224, the backend API 226, the storage devices 222, etc.) may be referredto herein as a “network device” or “network devices.” The networkdevice(s) 930 of FIG. 9 may include one or more of the network devicesdescribed herein.

With further reference to FIG. 2, the system 200 may also include asecurity monitoring service 228. The security monitoring service 228 maybe operated by the same company that manufactures, sells, and/ordistributes the A/V devices 210, the hub device 202, the VA device 208,the sensors 204, and/or the automation devices 206. In otherembodiments, the security monitoring service 228 may be operated by athird-party company (e.g., a different company than the one thatmanufactured, sold, and/or distributed the A/V devices 210, the hubdevice 202, the VA device 208, the sensors 204, and/or the automationdevices 206). In any of the present embodiments, the security monitoringservice 228 may have control of at least some of the features andcomponents of the security system and/or the home-automation system(e.g., the security monitoring service 228 may be able to arm and/ordisarm the security system, lock and/or unlock doors, activate and/ordeactivate one or more of the sensors 204 and/or the automation devices206, etc.). For example, the security monitoring service 228 may operateand control their own client devices and/or network of servers/backenddevices for monitoring and/or controlling security systems. In such anexample, the A/V devices 210, the hub device 202, the VA device 208, thesensors 204, and/or the automation devices 206 may communicate with theclient devices and/or one or more components of the network ofservers/backend devices of the security monitoring service 228 over thenetwork (Internet/PSTN) 212 (in some embodiments, via one or more of thecomponents of the network of backend servers/backend devices 220).

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram for an audio/video (A/V) device,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the one or more A/V devices 210 may include the securitycamera 210(a). In other embodiments, the one or more A/V devices 210 mayinclude the light camera 210(b), which may include some or all of thecomponents of the security camera 210(a) in addition to a lightcontroller 302 and one or more lights 304(a), 304(b). In someembodiments, the one or more A/V devices 210 may include the videodoorbell 210(c), which may include some or all of the components of thesecurity camera 210(a) in addition to a button 306, and in someembodiments, a connection to a signaling device 308 (e.g., apre-installed signaling device, such as a wired signaling device, and/ora wireless signaling device, connected over Wi-Fi, BLE, or anotherwireless communication protocol).

With further reference to FIG. 3, the A/V device 210 may include aprocessor(s) 310, a communication module 312, a camera 314, a computervision module 316, a light sensor 318, an audio CODEC (coder-decoder)320, volatile memory 322, and non-volatile memory 324. The processor(s)310 (alternatively referred to herein as a “CPU,” a “controller,” and/ora “microcontroller”) may comprise an integrated circuit including aprocessor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Theprocessor(s) 310 may receive input signals, such as data and/or power,from the camera 314, motion sensor(s) 326, light sensor 318,microphone(s) 328, speaker(s) 330, and/or the communication module 312,and may perform various functions as described in the presentdisclosure. In various embodiments, when the processor(s) 310 istriggered by the motion sensor(s) 326, the camera 314, the speaker(s)330, the microphone(s) 328, the communication module 312, and/or anothercomponent, the processor(s) 310 performs one or more processes and/orfunctions. For example, when the light sensor 318 detects a low level ofambient light, the light sensor 318 may trigger the processor(s) 310 toenable a night vision camera mode. The processor(s) 310 may also providedata communication between various components such as between thecommunication module 312 and the camera 314.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the communication module 312 maycomprise an integrated circuit including a processor core, memory, andprogrammable input/output peripherals. The communication module 312 maybe operatively connected to the processor(s) 310. In some embodiments,the communication module 312 is configured to handle communication linksbetween the A/V device 210 and other, external devices, externalreceivers, external transmitters, and/or external transceivers, and toroute incoming/outgoing data appropriately. For example, inbound datafrom an antenna 332 of the communication module 312 may be routedthrough the communication module 312 before being directed to theprocessor(s) 310, and outbound data from the processor(s) 310 may berouted through the communication module 312 before being directed to theantenna 332 of the communication module 312. As another example, thecommunication module 312 may be configured to transmit data to and/orreceive data from a remote network device (e.g., one or more componentsof the network(s) of servers/backend devices 220 described in FIG. 2).The communication module 312 may include wireless 334(a) and wired334(b) adapters. For example, the communication module 312 may includeone or more wireless antennas, radios, receivers, transmitters, and/ortransceivers (not shown in FIG. 3 for simplicity) configured to enablecommunication across one or more wireless networks, such as, withoutlimitation, Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Zigbee, LPWAN(s), and/orsatellite networks. The communication module 312 may receive inputs,such as power and/or data, from the camera 314, the processor(s) 310,the button 306 (in embodiments where the A/V device 210 is the videodoorbell 210(c)), the motion sensors 326, a reset button (not shown inFIG. 3 for simplicity), and/or the non-volatile memory 324. Thecommunication module 312 may also include the capability ofcommunicating over wired connections, such as with a signaling device308. For example, when the button 306 of the video doorbell 210(c) ispressed, the communication module 312 may be triggered to perform one ormore functions, such as to transmit a signal over the wired 334(b)connection to the signaling device 308 (although, in some embodiments,the signal be transmitted over a wireless 334(a) connection to thesignaling device) to cause the signaling device 308 to emit a sound(e.g., a doorbell tone, a user customized sound, a ringtone, a seasonalringtone, etc.). The communication module 312 may also act as a conduitfor data communicated between various components and the processor(s)310.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the A/V device 210 may include thenon-volatile memory 324 and the volatile memory 322. The non-volatilememory 324 may comprise flash memory configured to store and/or transmitdata. For example, in certain embodiments the non-volatile memory 324may comprise serial peripheral interface (SPI) flash memory. In someembodiments, the non-volatile memory 324 may comprise, for example, NANDor NOR flash memory. The volatile memory 322 may comprise, for example,DDR3 SDRAM (double data rate type three synchronous dynamicrandom-access memory). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, thevolatile memory 322 and the non-volatile memory 324 are illustrated asbeing separate from the processor(s) 310. However, the illustration ofFIG. 3 is not intended to be limiting, and in some embodiments thevolatile memory 322 and/or the non-volatile memory 324 may be physicallyincorporated with the processor(s) 310, such as on the same chip. Thevolatile memory 322 and/or the non-volatile memory 324, regardless oftheir physical location, may be shared by one or more other components(in addition to the processor(s) 310) of the present A/V device 210.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the A/V device 210 may include thecamera 314. The camera 314 may include an image sensor 336. The imagesensor 336 may include a video recording sensor and/or a camera chip. Inone aspect of the present disclosure, the imager sensor 336 may comprisea complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) array and may becapable of recording high definition (e.g., 722p, 1800p, 4K, etc.) videofiles. The camera 314 may include a separate camera processor (not shownin FIG. 3 for simplicity), or the processor(s) 310 may perform thecamera processing functionality. The processor(s) 310 (and/or cameraprocessor) may include an encoding and compression chip. In someembodiments, the processor(s) 310 (and/or the camera processor) maycomprise a bridge processor. The processor(s) 310 (and/or the cameraprocessor) may process video recorded by the image sensor 336 and/oraudio recorded by the microphone(s) 328, and may transform this datainto a form suitable for transfer by the communication module 312 to thenetwork (Internet/PSTN) 212. In various embodiments, the camera 314 alsoincludes memory, such as volatile memory that may be used when data isbeing buffered or encoded by the processor(s) 310 (and/or the cameraprocessor). For example, in certain embodiments the camera memory maycomprise synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SD RAM).

The camera 314 may further include an IR cut filter 338 that maycomprise a system that, when triggered, configures the image sensor 336to see primarily infrared light as opposed to visible light. Forexample, when the light sensor 318 detects a low level of ambient light(which may comprise a level that impedes the performance of the imagesensor 336 in the visible spectrum), the light emitting components 229may shine infrared light through an enclosure of the A/V device 210 outto the environment, and the IR cut filter 338 may enable the imagesensor 336 to see this infrared light as it is reflected or refractedoff of objects within the field of view of the doorbell. This processmay provide the A/V device with the “night vision” function mentionedabove.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the recording and communication A/Vdevice 210 may comprise the light sensor 318 and the one or morelight-emitting components 340, such as LED's. The light sensor 318 maybe one or more sensors capable of detecting the level of ambient lightof the surrounding environment in which the A/V device 210 may belocated. The light-emitting components 340 may be one or morelight-emitting diodes capable of producing visible light when suppliedwith power (e.g., to enable night vision). In some embodiments, whenactivated, the light-emitting components 340 illuminates a light pipe.

The A/V device 210 may further include one or more speaker(s) 330 and/orone or more microphone(s) 328. The speaker(s) 330 may be anyelectromechanical device capable of producing sound in response to anelectrical signal input. The microphone(s) 328 may be anacoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor capable of converting soundwaves into an electrical signal. In some embodiments, the A/V device 210may include two or more microphone(s) 328 that are spaced from oneanother (e.g., located on different sides of the A/V device 210) toprovide noise cancelling and/or echo cancelling for clearer audio. Thespeaker(s) 330 and/or microphone(s) 328 may be coupled to an audio CODEC320 to enable digital audio received by client devices to bedecompressed and output by the speaker(s) 330 and/or to enable audiodata captured by the microphone(s) 328 to be compressed into digitalaudio data. The digital audio data may be received from and transmittedto client devices using the communication module 312 (in someembodiments, through one or more intermediary devices such as the hubdevice 202, the VA device 208, and/or one or more components of thenetwork of servers/backend devices 220 as described in FIG. 2). Forexample, when a visitor (or intruder) who is present in the area aboutthe A/V device 210 speaks, sound from the visitor (or intruder) isreceived by the microphone(s) 328 and compressed by the audio CODEC 320.Digital audio data is then sent through the communication module 312 tothe network 212 via the user's network 218, routed by the backend server224 and/or the backend API 226 and delivered to the client device(s)214, 216 as described above in connection with FIG. 2. When the userspeaks, after being transferred through the network 212, the user'snetwork 218, and the communication module 312, the digital audio datafrom the user is decompressed by the audio CODEC 320 and emitted to thevisitor through the speaker(s) 330.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the A/V device 210 may be batterypowered using a battery 342 and/or may be powered using a source ofexternal AC (alternating-current) power, such as a household AC powersupply (alternatively referred to herein as “AC mains” or “wall power”).The AC power may have a voltage in the range of 110-220 VAC, forexample. The incoming AC power may be received by an AC/DC adapter (notshown), which may convert the incoming AC power to DC (direct-current)and may step down the voltage from 110-220 VAC to a lower output voltageof about 12 VDC and an output current of about 2 A, for example. Invarious embodiments, the output of the AC/DC adapter is in a range fromabout 9 V to about 15 V and in a range from about 0.5 A to about 5 A.These voltages and currents are examples provided for illustration andare not intended to be limiting.

However, in other embodiments, a battery 342 may not be included. Inembodiments that include the battery 342, the A/V device 210 may includean integrated circuit (not shown) capable of arbitrating betweenmultiple voltage rails, thereby selecting the source of power for theA/V device 210. The A/V device 210 may have separate power railsdedicated to the battery 342 and the AC power source. In one aspect ofthe present disclosure, the A/V device 210 may continuously draw powerfrom the battery 342 to power the A/V device 210, while at the same timerouting the AC power to the battery, thereby allowing the battery 342 tomaintain a substantially constant level of charge. Alternatively, theA/V device 210 may continuously draw power from the AC power to powerthe doorbell, while only drawing from the battery 342 when the AC poweris low or insufficient. Still, in some embodiments, the battery 342comprises the sole source of power for the A/V device 210. In suchembodiments, the components of the A/V device 210 (e.g., springcontacts, connectors, etc.) are not be connected to a source of ACpower. When the battery 342 is depleted of its charge, it may berecharged, such as by connecting a power source to the battery 342(e.g., using a USB connector).

Although not illustrated in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the A/V device210 may include one or more of an accelerometer, a barometer, a humiditysensor, and a temperature sensor. The accelerometer may be one or moresensors capable of sensing motion and/or acceleration. The one or moreof the accelerometer, the barometer, the humidity sensor, and thetemperature sensor may be located outside of a housing of the A/V device210 so as to reduce interference from heat, pressure, moisture, and/orother stimuli generated by the internal components of the A/V device210.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the A/V device 210 may include one ormore motion sensor(s) 326. However, in some embodiments, the motionsensor(s) 326 may not be included, such as where motion detection isperformed by the camera 314 or another device. The motion sensor(s) 326may be any type of sensor capable of detecting and communicating thepresence of an entity within their field of view. As such, the motionsensor(s) 326 may include one or more (alone or in combination)different types of motion sensors. For example, in some embodiments, themotion sensor(s) 326 may comprise passive infrared (PIR) sensors, whichmay be secured on or within a PIR sensor holder that may reside behind alens (e.g., a Fresnel lens). In such an example, the PIR sensors maydetect IR radiation in a field of view, and produce an output signal(typically a voltage) that changes as the amount of IR radiation in thefield of view changes. The amount of voltage in the output signal may becompared, by the processor(s) 310, for example, to one or more thresholdvoltage values to determine if the amount of voltage in the outputsignal is indicative of motion, and/or if the amount of voltage in theoutput signal is indicative of motion of an entity that is to becaptured by the camera 314 (e.g., motion of a person and/or animal mayprompt activation of the camera 314, while motion of a vehicle may not).Although the above discussion of the motion sensor(s) 326 primarilyrelates to PIR sensors, depending on the embodiment, the motionsensor(s) 326 may include additional and/or alternate sensor types thatproduce output signals including alternative data types. For example,and without limitation, the output signal may include an amount ofvoltage change based on the presence of infrared radiation in a field ofview of an active infrared (AIR) sensor, the output signal may includephase shift data from a microwave-type motion sensor, the output signalmay include doppler shift data from an ultrasonic-type motion sensor,the output signal may include radio wave disturbance from atomographic-type motion sensor, and/or the output signal may includeother data types for other sensor types that may be used as the motionsensor(s) 326 of the A/V device 210.

In some embodiments, computer vision module(s) (CVM) 316 may be includedin the A/V device 210 as the motion sensor(s) 326, in addition to, oralternatively from, other motion sensor(s) 326. For example, the CVM 316may be a low-power CVM (e.g., Qualcomm Glance) that, by operating at lowpower (e.g., less than 2 mW of end-to-end power), is capable ofproviding computer vision capabilities and functionality for batterypowered devices (e.g., the A/V device 210 when powered by the battery342). The low-power CVM may include a lens, a CMOS image sensor, and adigital processor that may perform embedded processing within thelow-power CVM itself, such that the low-power CVM may outputpost-processed computer vision metadata to the processor(s) 310 (e.g.,via a serial peripheral bus interface (SPI)). As such, the low-power CVMmay be considered to be one or more of the motion sensor(s) 326, and thedata type output in the output signal may be the post-processed computervision metadata. The metadata may include information such as thepresence of a particular type of entity (e.g., person, animal, vehicle,parcel, etc.), a direction of movement of the entity, a distance of theentity from the A/V device 210, etc. In various embodiments, the motionsensor(s) 326 include a plurality of different sensor types capable ofdetecting motion such as PIR, AIR, low-power CVM, and/or cameras.

As indicated above, the A/V device 210 may include the CVM 316 (whichmay be the same as the above described low-power CVM 316 implemented asone or more motion sensor(s) 326, or may be additional to, oralternative from, the above described low-power CVM 316). For example,the A/V device 210, the hub device 202, the VA device 208, and/or one ormore component of the network(s) of servers/backend devices 220 mayperform any or all of the computer vision processes and functionalitiesdescribed herein. In addition, although the CVM 316 is only illustratedas a component of the A/V device 210, the computer vision module 316 mayadditionally, or alternatively, be included as a component of the hubdevice 202, the VA device 208, and/or one or more components of thenetwork of servers/backend devices 220. With respect to the A/V device210, the CVM 316 may include any of the components (e.g., hardware)and/or functionality described herein with respect to computer vision,including, without limitation, one or more cameras, sensors, and/orprocessors. In some of the present embodiments, with reference to FIG.3, the microphone(s) 328, the camera 314, the processor(s) 310, and/orthe image sensor 336 may be components of the CVM 316. In someembodiments, the CVM 316 may include an internal camera, image sensor,and/or processor, and the CVM 316 may output data to the processor(s)310 in an output signal, for example.

As a result of including the CVM 316, some of the present embodimentsmay leverage the CVM 316 to implement computer vision for one or moreaspects, such as motion detection, object recognition, and/or facialrecognition. Computer vision includes methods for acquiring, processing,analyzing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensionaldata from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolicinformation, e.g., in the form of decisions. Computer vision seeks toduplicate the abilities of human vision by electronically perceiving andunderstanding an image. Understanding in this context means thetransformation of visual images (the input of the retina) intodescriptions of the world that can interface with other thoughtprocesses and elicit appropriate action. This image understanding can beseen as the disentangling of symbolic information from image data usingmodels constructed with the aid of geometry, physics, statistics, andlearning theory. Computer vision has also been described as theenterprise of automating and integrating a wide range of processes andrepresentations for vision perception. As a scientific discipline,computer vision is concerned with the theory behind artificial systemsthat extract information from images. The image data can take manyforms, such as video sequences, views from multiple cameras, ormulti-dimensional data from a scanner.

One aspect of computer vision comprises determining whether or not theimage data contains some specific object, feature, or activity.Different varieties of computer vision recognition include: ObjectRecognition (also called object classification)—One or severalpre-specified or learned objects or object classes can be recognized,usually together with their 2D positions in the image or 3D poses in thescene. Identification—An individual instance of an object is recognized.Examples include identification of a specific person's face orfingerprint, identification of handwritten digits, or identification ofa specific vehicle. Detection—The image data are scanned for a specificcondition. Examples include detection of possible abnormal cells ortissues in medical images or detection of a vehicle in an automatic roadtoll system. Detection based on relatively simple and fast computationsis sometimes used for finding smaller regions of interesting image datathat can be further analyzed by more computationally demandingtechniques to produce a correct interpretation.

Several specialized tasks based on computer vision recognition exist,such as: Optical Character Recognition (OCR)—Identifying characters inimages of printed or handwritten text, usually with a view to encodingthe text in a format more amenable to editing or indexing (e.g., ASCII).2D Code Reading—Reading of 2D codes such as data matrix and QR codes.Facial Recognition. Shape Recognition Technology (SRT)—Differentiatinghuman beings (e.g., head and shoulder patterns) from objects.

Image acquisition—A digital image is produced by one or several imagesensors, which, besides various types of light-sensitive cameras, mayinclude range sensors, tomography devices, radar, ultra-sonic cameras,etc. Depending on the type of sensor, the resulting image data may be a2D image, a 3D volume, or an image sequence. The pixel values maycorrespond to light intensity in one or several spectral bands (grayimages or color images), but can also be related to various physicalmeasures, such as depth, absorption or reflectance of sonic orelectromagnetic waves, or nuclear magnetic resonance.

Pre-processing—Before a computer vision method can be applied to imagedata in order to extract some specific piece of information, it isusually beneficial to process the data in order to assure that itsatisfies certain assumptions implied by the method. Examples ofpre-processing include, but are not limited to re-sampling in order toassure that the image coordinate system is correct, noise reduction inorder to assure that sensor noise does not introduce false information,contrast enhancement to assure that relevant information can bedetected, and scale space representation to enhance image structures atlocally appropriate scales.

Feature extraction—Image features at various levels of complexity areextracted from the image data. Typical examples of such features are:Lines, edges, and ridges; Localized interest points such as corners,blobs, or points; More complex features may be related to texture,shape, or motion.

Detection/segmentation—At some point in the processing a decision may bemade about which image points or regions of the image are relevant forfurther processing. Examples are: Selection of a specific set ofinterest points; Segmentation of one or multiple image regions thatcontain a specific object of interest; Segmentation of the image intonested scene architecture comprising foreground, object groups, singleobjects, or salient object parts (also referred to as spatial-taxonscene hierarchy).

High-level processing—At this step, the input may be a small set ofdata, for example a set of points or an image region that is assumed tocontain a specific object. The remaining processing may comprise, forexample: Verification that the data satisfy model-based andapplication-specific assumptions; Estimation of application-specificparameters, such as object pose or object size; Imagerecognition—classifying a detected object into different categories;Image registration—comparing and combining two different views of thesame object.

Decision making—Making the final decision required for the application,for example match/no-match in recognition applications.

One or more of the present embodiments may include a vision processingunit (not shown separately, but may be a component of the CVM 316). Avision processing unit is an emerging class of microprocessor; it is aspecific type of AI (artificial intelligence) accelerator designed toaccelerate machine vision tasks. Vision processing units are distinctfrom video processing units (which are specialized for video encodingand decoding) in their suitability for running machine vision algorithmssuch as convolutional neural networks, SIFT, etc. Vision processingunits may include direct interfaces to take data from cameras (bypassingany off-chip buffers), and may have a greater emphasis on on-chipdataflow between many parallel execution units with scratchpad memory,like a manycore DSP (digital signal processor). But, like videoprocessing units, vision processing units may have a focus on lowprecision fixed-point arithmetic for image processing.

Some of the present embodiments may use facial recognition hardwareand/or software, as a part of the computer vision system. Various typesof facial recognition exist, some or all of which may be used in thepresent embodiments.

Some face recognition algorithms identify facial features by extractinglandmarks, or features, from an image of the subject's face. Forexample, an algorithm may analyze the relative position, size, and/orshape of the eyes, nose, cheekbones, and jaw. These features are thenused to search for other images with matching features. Other algorithmsnormalize a gallery of face images and then compress the face data, onlysaving the data in the image that is useful for face recognition. Aprobe image is then compared with the face data. One of the earliestsuccessful systems is based on template matching techniques applied to aset of salient facial features, providing a sort of compressed facerepresentation.

Recognition algorithms can be divided into two main approaches,geometric, which looks at distinguishing features, or photometric, whichis a statistical approach that distills an image into values andcompares the values with templates to eliminate variances.

Popular recognition algorithms include principal component analysisusing eigenfaces, linear discriminant analysis, elastic bunch graphmatching using the Fisherface algorithm, the hidden Markov model, themultilinear subspace learning using tensor representation, and theneuronal motivated dynamic link matching.

Further, a newly emerging trend, claimed to achieve improved accuracy,is three-dimensional face recognition. This technique uses 3D sensors tocapture information about the shape of a face. This information is thenused to identify distinctive features on the surface of a face, such asthe contour of the eye sockets, nose, and chin.

One advantage of 3D face recognition is that it is not affected bychanges in lighting like other techniques. It can also identify a facefrom a range of viewing angles, including a profile view.Three-dimensional data points from a face vastly improve the precisionof face recognition. 3D research is enhanced by the development ofsophisticated sensors that do a better job of capturing 3D face imagery.The sensors work by projecting structured light onto the face. Up to adozen or more of these image sensors can be placed on the same CMOSchip—each sensor captures a different part of the spectrum.

Another variation is to capture a 3D picture by using three trackingcameras that point at different angles; one camera pointing at the frontof the subject, a second one to the side, and a third one at an angle.All these cameras work together to track a subject's face in real timeand be able to face detect and recognize.

Another emerging trend uses the visual details of the skin, as capturedin standard digital or scanned images. This technique, called skintexture analysis, turns the unique lines, patterns, and spots apparentin a person's skin into a mathematical space.

Another form of taking input data for face recognition is by usingthermal cameras, which may only detect the shape of the head and ignorethe subject accessories such as glasses, hats, or make up.

Further examples of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)and/or computer vision that can be used in the present embodiments toverify the identity and/or authorization of a person include, withoutlimitation, biometrics. Biometrics refers to metrics related to humancharacteristics. Biometrics authentication (or realistic authentication)is used in various forms of identification and access control. Biometricidentifiers are the distinctive, measurable characteristics used tolabel and describe individuals. Biometric identifiers can bephysiological characteristics and/or behavioral characteristics.Physiological characteristics may be related to the shape of the body.Examples include, but are not limited to, fingerprints, palm veins,facial recognition, three-dimensional facial recognition, skin textureanalysis, DNA, palm prints, hand geometry, iris recognition, retinarecognition, and odor/scent recognition. Behavioral characteristics maybe related to the pattern of behavior of a person, including, but notlimited to, typing rhythm, gait, and voice recognition.

The present embodiments may use any one, or any combination of more thanone, of the foregoing biometrics to identify and/or authenticate aperson who is either suspicious or who is authorized to take certainactions with respect to a property or expensive item of collateral. Forexample, with reference to FIG. 3, the CVM 316, and/or the camera 314and/or the processor(s) 310 may receive information about the personusing any one, or any combination of more than one, of the foregoingbiometrics.

Again, with reference to FIG. 3, in embodiments where the A/V device 210includes a light camera, the A/V device 210 may include the lightcontroller 302 and one or more lights 304(a), 304(b) (collectivelyreferred to herein as “lights 304”). The light controller 302 mayinclude a switch for controlling the lights 304. For example, inresponse to the motions sensor(s) 326 and/or the camera 314 detectingmotion, the light controller 236 may receive an output signal from theprocessor(s) 310 that causes the light controller 302 to activate theone or more lights 304(a), 304(b). In some embodiments, the light cameramay include motion sensor(s) 326 detecting motion for controllingactivation of the lights 304, and may further include the camera 314 fordetecting motion for activating the recording of the image data usingthe camera 314 and/or the recording of the audio data using themicrophone(s) 328. In other embodiments, the motion sensor(s) 326 maydetect the motion for activating the lights 304, the camera 314, and themicrophone(s) 328, or the camera 314 may detect the motion foractivating the lights 304, the camera 314 to being recording the imagedata, and the microphone(s) 328 to being recording the audio data. Thelights 304 may include floodlights, spotlights, porch lights, or anothertype of illumination device. The lights 304 may provide for better imagedata quality when ambient light levels are low (e.g., at dusk, dawn, ornight), while also providing a deterrent effect by being illuminatedwhen motion is detected.

With further reference to FIG. 3, in embodiments where the A/V device210 includes a doorbell, such as the video doorbell 210(c), the A/Vdevice 210 may include the button 306. In embodiments where the button306 is a mechanical button (e.g., has a range of movement), the button306 may make contact with a button actuator located within the videodoorbell 210(c) when the button 306 is pressed. In embodiments where thebutton 306 is not mechanical (e.g., has no range of motion), the button306 may include a capacitive touch button, a resistive touch button, asurface acoustic wave (SAW) button, an infrared (IR) button, an opticalimaging button, an acoustic pulse recognition button, and/or a buttonthat implements a low-power CVM for the detection of a person (e.g., afinger, hand, etc., of a person). When the button 306 is pressed,touched, and/or otherwise triggered, the processor(s) 310 may receive anoutput signal from the button 306 that may activate one or morefunctions of the video doorbell 210(c), such as transmitting an outputsignal, using the communication module 312, to the signaling device 308to cause the signaling device 308 to output a sound (e.g., via the wired334(b) connection to the signaling device 308 and/or a wireless 334(a)connection to the signaling device 308). In addition, the processor(s)310 may transmit an output signal (e.g., a message), using thecommunication module 312, to the client device(s) 214, 216 to indicateto the user(s) of the client device(s) 214, 216 that a person is presentat the A/V device 210 (in some embodiments, via at least one of the hubdevice 202, the VA device 208, and/or one or more component of thenetwork of servers/backend devices 220).

Although the A/V recording and communication device 210 (or A/V device210) is referred to herein as an “audio/video” device, the A/V device210 need not have both audio and video functionality. For example, insome embodiments, the A/V device 210 may not include the speakers 330,microphones 328, and/or audio CODEC. In such examples, the A/V device210 may only have video recording and communication functionalities. Inother examples, the A/V device 210 may only have the speaker(s) 330 andnot the microphone(s) 328, or may only have the microphone(s) 328 andnot the speaker(s) 330.

FIG. 4 is another functional block diagram illustrating an embodiment ofthe A/V device 210, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, the A/V device 210 may represent, andfurther include one or more of the components from, the A/V recordingand communication doorbell 210(c), the A/V recording and communicationsecurity camera 210(a), and/or the floodlight controller 210(b).Additionally, in some embodiments, the A/V device 210 may omit one ormore of the components shown in FIG. 4 and/or may include one or moreadditional components not shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the A/V device 210 includes memory 402, which mayrepresent the volatile memory 322 and/or the non-volatile memory 324.The memory 402 stores a device application 404. In various embodiments,the device application 404 may configure the processor(s) 310 to captureimage data 406 using the camera 314, audio data 408 using themicrophone(s) 328, input data 410 using the button 306 (and/or thecamera 314 and/or the motion sensor(s) 326, depending on theembodiment), and/or motion data 412 using the camera 314 and/or themotion sensor(s) 326. In some embodiments, the device application 404may also configure the processor(s) 310 to generate text data 414describing the image data 406, the audio data 408, and/or the input data410, such as in the form of metadata, for example.

In addition, the device application 404 may configure the processor(s)310 to transmit the image data 406, the audio data 408, the motion data412, the input data 410, the text data 414, and/or message(s) 416 to theclient devices 214, 216, the hub device 202, and/or the backend server224 using the communication module 312. In various embodiments, thedevice application 404 may also configure the processor(s) 310 togenerate and transmit an output signal 418 that may include the imagedata 406, the audio data 408, the text data 414, the input data 410,and/or the motion data 412. In some of the present embodiments, theoutput signal 418 may be transmitted to the backend server 224 and/orthe hub device 202 using the communication module 312. The backendserver 224 may then transmit (or forward) the output signal 418 to theclient device(s) 214, 216, and/or the hub device 202 may then transmit(or forward) the output signal 418 to the client device(s) 214, 216,and/or the hub device 202 may then transmit (or forward) the outputsignal 418 to the backend server 224, and the backend server 224 maythen transmit (or forward) the output signal 418 to the client device(s)214, 216. In other embodiments, the output signal 418 may be transmitteddirectly to the client device(s) 214, 216 by the A/V device 210.

In further reference to FIG. 4, the image data 406 may comprise imagesensor data such as (but not limited to) exposure values and dataregarding pixel values for a particular sized grid. The image data 406may include still images, live video, and/or pre-recorded images and/orvideo. The image data 406 may be recorded by the camera 314 in a fieldof view of the camera 314.

In further reference to FIG. 4, the motion data 412 may comprise motionsensor data generated in response to motion events. For example, themotion data 412 may include an amount or level of a data type generatedby the motion sensor(s) 326 (e.g., the voltage level output by themotion sensor(s) 326 when the motion sensor(s) 326 are PIR type motionsensor(s)). In some of the present embodiments, such as those where theA/V device 210 does not include the motion sensor(s) 326, the motiondata 412 may be generated by the camera 314. In such embodiments, basedon a frame by frame comparison of changes in the pixels from the imagedata 406, it may be determined that motion is present.

The input data 410 may include data generated in response to an input tothe button 306. The button 306 may receive an input (e.g., a press, atouch, a series of touches and/or presses, etc.) and may generate theinput data 410 in response that is indicative of the type of input. Inembodiments where the A/V device 210 is not a doorbell (e.g., the videodoorbell 210(c)), the A/V device 210 may not include the button 306, andthe A/V device 210 may not generate the input data 410.

With further reference to FIG. 4, a message 416 may be generated by theprocessor(s) 310 and transmitted, using the communication module 312, tothe client device 214, 216, the backend server 224, and/or the hubdevice 202. For example, in response to detecting motion using thecamera 314 and/or the motion sensor(s) 326, the A/V device 210 maygenerate and transmit the message 416. In some of the presentembodiments, the message 416 may include at least the image data 406,the audio data 408, the text data 414, and/or the motion data 412.

As described herein, the message(s) 416 may include messages, signals,data, notifications, and/or any type of electronic communication thatelectronic devices (e.g., the A/V device 210, the client device 214,216, the hub device 202, and/or one or more components of the network(s)of servers/backend devices 220) may transmit and receive with otherelectronic devices (e.g., the A/V device 210, the client device 214,216, the hub device 202, and/or one or more components of the network(s)of servers/backend devices 220). For instance, message(s) 416 mayinclude push notifications, email messages, short message service (SMS)messages, multimedia messages (MMS), voicemail messages, video signals,audio signals, data transmissions, and/or any other type of electroniccommunication that an electronic device can send to another electronicdevice.

The image data 406, the audio data 408, the text data 414, and/or themotion data 412 may be tagged with (e.g., a time stamp, based on clockdata) and/or stored separately (e.g., on the backend server 224, the hubdevice 202, and/or the A/V device 210) based on when the motion wasdetected, how long the motion was detected for, and/or a duration oftime associated with the detected motion, or motion event (e.g., theduration of time may include the time the motion was detected plus anadditional time, such as, without limitation, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or30 seconds). For example, each separate detection of motion, or motionevent, may be associated with image data 406, audio data 408, text data414, and/or motion data 412 representative of the detection of motion,or motion event. As a result, when a request for data pertaining toparticular motion event, or a particular time period, is received (e.g.,by the client device 214, 216, the backend server 224, and/or the hubdevice 202), the image data 406, the audio data 408, the text data 414,and/or the motion data 412 associated with a particular motion event,and/or associated with motion event(s) within the particular timeperiod, may be transmitted, retrieved, and/or received.

Although examples discuss the A/V device 210 generating and transmittingthe image data 406, the audio data 408, the text data 414, and/or themotion data 412 when motion is detected (e.g., in the message 416), inother examples the data may be generated and/or transmitted at othertimes. For example, the image data 406, the audio data 408, the textdata 414, and/or the motion data 412 may be generated and transmittedcontinuously (e.g., in a streaming manner), periodically, upon request,etc. In examples where the image data 406, the audio data 408, the textdata 414, and/or the motion data 412 may be generated and transmittedcontinuously, the detection of motion (e.g., a motion event) may causean indication of when the motion was detected (e.g., a time stamp)and/or how long the motion was detected for (e.g., a duration) to beassociated with the image data 406, the audio data 408, the text data414, and/or the motion data 412. As a result, even though the image data406, the audio data 408, the text data 414, and/or the motion data 412may be continuously generated by the A/V device 210, the image data 406,the audio data 408, the text data 414, and/or the motion data 412associated with motion events may be tagged and/or stored separately(e.g., similar to that of the image data 406, the audio data 408, thetext data 414, and/or the motion data 412 generated in response to thedetection of motion), from the image data 406, the audio data 408, thetext data 414, and/or the motion data 412 that is not associated withmotion events.

As described herein, at least some of the processes of the backendserver 224, the hub device 202, and/or the client device 214, 216 may beexecuted by the A/V device 210.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of thebackend server 224, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. The backend server 224 may comprise processor(s) 502 (whichmay be similar to, and/or include similar functionality as, theprocessor(s) 310), a communication module 504 (which may be similar to,and/or include similar functionality as, the communication module 312),and a memory 506 (which may be similar to, and/or include similarfunctionality as, the memory 402). The communication module 504 mayallow the backend server 224 to access and communicate with devicesconnected to the network (Internet/PSTN) 212 (e.g., the A/V device 210,the hub device 202, the client devices 214, 216, a device controlled bythe security monitoring service 228, the A/V devices 230, and/or theclient devices 232).

The memory 402 may include a server application 508 that configures theprocessor(s) 502 to receive and/or retrieve the audio data 408, the textdata 414, the input data 410, the messages 416, the image data 406,and/or the motion data 412 from the A/V device 210 (e.g., in the outputsignal 418) and/or the hub device 202. The server application 508 mayalso configure the processor(s) 502 to transmit (and/or forward) theaudio data 408, the text data 414, the input data 410, the messages 416,the image data 406, and/or the motion data 412 to the client devices214, 216 using the communication module 504. Furthermore, the serverapplication 508 may configure the processor(s) 502 to receive, using thecommunication module 504, image data 512 (also referred to as “secondimage data 512”) generated by the A/V devices 230.

Although referred to as the backend server 224 with reference to theprocesses described herein, the backend server 224 may additionally, oralternatively, include one or more of the devices from the network(s) ofservers/backend devices 220. For example, the processes described hereinwith respect to the backend server 224 may additionally, oralternatively, at least in part, be performed by one or more backendAPIs 226.

In further reference to FIG. 5, the memory 506 may also include sourceidentifying data 510 that may be used to identify the A/V device 210,the hub device 202, and/or the client devices 214, 216. In addition, thesource identifying data 510 may be used by the processor(s) 502 of thebackend server 224 to determine the client devices 214, 216 areassociated with the A/V device 210 and/or the hub device 202.

In some embodiments, the server application 508 may further configurethe processor(s) 502 to generate and transmit a report signal (notshown) to a third-party client device (e.g., electronic device(s) 234),which may be associated with a law enforcement agency or the securitymonitoring service 228, for example. The report signal, which may be themessage 416, in some examples, may include the image data 406, the audiodata 408, the text data 414, and/or the second image data 512.

As described herein, at least some of the processes of the A/V device210, the hub device 202, and/or the client device 214, 216 may beexecuted by the backend server 224.

For example, the server application 508 may configure the processor(s)502 to analyze the image data 406 in order to determine if the imagedata 406 depicts an object. Objects may include, but are not limited to,people, animals, vehicles, parcels (e.g., packages), electronic devices(e.g., remote control vehicles, drones, etc.), and/or any other type ofobject that can be depicted by the image data 406 and/or cause motionthat can be detected by the A/V device 210. In some examples, theprocessor(s) 502 of the backend server 224 may analyze the image data406 whenever the backend server 224 receives the image data 406 from theA/V device 210.

In some examples, to analyze the image data 406, computer visionprocessing and/or image processing, as described herein, for example,may be performed by the processor(s) 502 of the backend server 224 todetermine that the image data 406 depicts one or more objects. Forexample, in any of the present embodiments, the image data 406 generatedby the A/V device 210 may be analyzed to determine object data 512. Insome of the present embodiments, one or more of the image data 406, themotion data 412, and the audio data 408 may be used to determine theobject data 512. The computer vision and/or image processing may beexecuted using computer vision and/or image processing algorithms.Examples of computer vision and/or image processing algorithms mayinclude, without limitation, spatial gesture models that are 3Dmodel-based and/or appearance based. 3D model-based algorithms mayinclude skeletal and volumetric, where volumetric may include NURBS,primitives, and/or super-quadrics, for example.

In some embodiments, the processor(s) 502 of the backend server 224 maycompare the object data 512 to an object database 514 to determine what,if any, object(s) the image data 406 depicts in the field of view of theA/V device 210. For example, the object database 514 may store imagedata corresponding to images and/or video footage that depict variousobjects, where the image data may be labeled (e.g., tagged, such as inthe form of metadata) to indicate an object type 516 (alternativelyreferred to herein as the “type of object 516”) depicted by each imageand/or video footage. For a first example, the object database 514 maystore image data depicting a person, where the image data is labeled toindicate that the type of object 516 includes a person. For a secondexample, the object database 514 may store image data depicting ananimal (e.g., a dog, a cat, a coyote, etc.), where the image data islabeled to indicate that the type of object 516 includes the animal(e.g., the dog, the cat, the coyote, etc.). For a third example, theobject database 514 may store image data depicting a vehicle, where theimage data is labeled to indicate the type of object 516 includes thevehicle.

Based on the comparing, the processor(s) 502 of the backend server 224may match the object data 512 from the image data 406 to the image datastored in the object database 514. The processor(s) 502 of the backendserver 224 may then use the match to determine that the object data 512represents an object and/or to determine the type of object 516 that theobject data 512 represents. For example, if the processor(s) 502 of thebackend server 224 matches the object data 512 from the image data 406to image data stored in the object database 514 that represents aperson, then the processor(s) 502 of the backend server 224 maydetermine that the image data 406 depicts an object and/or that theimage data 406 depicts a person. In some examples, when the object data512 represents multiple objects, the processor(s) 502 of the backendserver 224 may perform a similar analysis to identify each objectrepresented by the object data 512 and/or the respective type of object516 associated with each of the objects represented by the object data512.

In some examples, in addition to, or alternatively from, comparing theimage data 406 to the image data stored in the object database 514,features and/or characteristics of various objects may be stored in theobject database 514, and the features and/or characteristics of theobjects in the image data 406 may be determined (e.g., using computervision processing, image processing, or the like) and compared againstthe features and/or characteristics from the object database 514. Forexample, sizes, volumes, weights, colors, movement types, and/or otherfeatures and/or characteristics of various objects may be stored in theobject database 514. The size, volume, weight, color, movement type,and/or other features and/or characteristics of an object depicted bythe image data 406 may then be compared to the sizes, volumes, weights,colors, movement types, and/or other features and/or characteristicsstored in the object database 514 to identify the type of object 516depicted by the image data 406.

Although described as being performed in the backend server 224, in someembodiments, the image data 406 may be analyzed by any of the A/Vrecording and communication device 210, the hub device 202, and/or theclient device 214/216, in order to determine if the image data 406depicts an object, therein. Thus, any or all of the operations describedherein to analyze the image data 406 may be performed by any of thesedevices. To perform these operations, any or all of these devices mayalso include the object database 514, including the object type 516,and/or the object data 514, as described with reference to FIG. 5.

The hub device 202 and/or the backend server 224 (and/or one or moreadditional or alternative components of the network(s) ofservers/backend devices 220) may alternatively be referred to herein as“network devices.”

Now referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a functional block diagramillustrating one embodiment of the client device 214, 216, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. The client device 214, 216may comprise processor(s) 602 (which may be similar to, and/or includesimilar functionality as, the processor(s) 310) that are operativelyconnected to an input interface 604, microphone(s) 606, speaker(s) 608,a communication module 610 (which may be similar to, and/or includesimilar functionality as, the communication module 312), and memory 612(which may be similar to, and/or include similar functionality as, thememory 402). The client device 214, 216 may further comprise a camera(not shown) operatively connected to the processor(s) 602.

The memory 612 may store a device application 614. In variousembodiments, the device application 614 may configure the processor(s)602 to receive input(s) to the input interface 604 (e.g., the display130 of the client device 100 in FIG. 1A). In addition, the deviceapplication 614 may configure the processor(s) 602 to receive, using thecommunication module 610, the input data 410, the image data 406, theaudio data 408, the output signal 418, and/or messages 416 from one ormore of the A/V device 210, the hub device 202, or the backend server224.

With further reference to FIG. 6, the input interface 604 may include adisplay 618. The display 618 may include a touchscreen, such that theuser of the client device 214, 216 may provide inputs directly to thedisplay 618 (e.g., as shown in stages 105-108 of FIG. 1B). In someembodiments, the client device 214, 216 may not include a touchscreen.In such embodiments, and in embodiments where the client device 214, 216includes the touchscreen, the user may provide an input using any inputdevice, such as, without limitation, a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, ajoystick, a pointing stick, a stylus, etc.

In some of the present embodiments, in response to receiving a message416, the device application 614 may configure the processor(s) 602 tocause the display 618 to display the message 416. The message 416 mayindicate that the A/V device 210 detected motion, detected the presenceof an object, received an input (e.g., to the button 306), etc. Whiledisplaying the message 416, the input interface 604 may receive inputfrom the user to answer the message 416. In response, the deviceapplication 614 may configure the processor(s) 602 to display thereceived image data 406 on the display 618 (e.g., display image(s)and/or video footage represented by the image data 406).

As described herein, at least some of the processes of the A/V device210, the hub device 202, and/or the backend server 224 may be executedby the client device 214, 216.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an embodiment of thesmart-home hub device 202 (alternatively referred to herein as the “hubdevice 202”), according to various aspects of the present disclosure.The hub device 202 may be, for example, one or more of a Wi-Fi hub, asmart-home hub, a hub of a home security/alarm system, a gateway device,a hub for a legacy security/alarm system (e.g., a hub for connecting apre-existing security/alarm system to the network (Internet/PSTN) 212for enabling remote control of the hub device 202), and/or anothersimilar device. In some examples, the hub device 202 may include thefunctionality of the VA device 208. The hub device 202 may compriseprocessor(s) 702 (which may be similar to, and/or include similarfunctionality as, the processor(s) 310) that are operatively connectedto speaker(s) 704, microphone(s) 706, a communication module 708 (whichmay be similar to, and/or include similar functionality as, thecommunication module 310), and memory 710 (which may be similar to,and/or include similar functionality as, the memory 402). In someembodiments, the hub device 202 may further comprise one or more of acamera (not shown). In some embodiments, the hub device 202 may notinclude one or more of the components shown in FIG. 7, such as thespeaker(s) 704 and/or the microphone(s) 706.

As shown in the example of FIG. 7, the memory 710 stores a smart-homehub application 712. In various embodiments, the smart-home hubapplication 712 may configure the processor(s) 702 to receive sensordata from the sensors 204 and/or the automation devices 206. Forexample, the sensor data may include a current state (e.g.,opened/closed for door and window sensors, motion detected for motionsensors, living room lights on/off for a lighting automation system,etc.) of each of the sensors 204 and/or the automation devices 206. Insome of the present embodiments, the sensor data may be received inresponse to sensor triggers. The sensor triggers may be a dooropening/closing, a window opening/closing, lights being turned on/off,blinds being opened/closed, etc. As such, the sensor data may includethe current state of the sensors 204 and/or the automation devices 206as well as any updates to the current state based on sensor triggers.

With further reference to FIG. 7, the smart-home hub application 712 mayconfigure the processor(s) 702 to receive the audio data 408, the textdata 414, the image data 406, the motion data 412, the input data 410,and/or the messages 416 from the A/V device 210 (in some embodiments,via the backend server 224) using the communication module 708. Forexample, the hub device 202 may receive and/or retrieve (e.g., afterreceiving a signal from the A/V device 210 that the A/V device 210 hasbeen activated) the image data 406, the input data 410, and/or themotion data 412 from the A/V device 210 and/or the backend server 224 inresponse to motion being detected by the A/V device 210. The smart-hubapplication 712 may then configure the processor(s) 702 to transmit,using the communication module 708, the audio data 408, the text data414, the image data 406, the motion data 412, the input data 410, and/orthe messages 416 to the client device 214, 216, the backend server 224,and/or an additional electronic device (e.g., a second A/V device 210,the automation device(s) 206, the sensor(s) 204, etc.).

As described herein, at least some of the processes of the A/V device210, the backend server 224, and/or the client device 214, 216 may beexecuted by the hub device 202.

Each of the processes described herein, including the processes 800,1100, and 1200 are illustrated as a collection of blocks in a logicalflow graph, which represent a sequence of operations that may beimplemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In thecontext of software, the blocks represent computer-executableinstructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that,when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations.Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, and the like that performparticular functions or implement particular abstract data types. Theorder in which the operations are described is not intended to beconstrued as a limitation, and any number of the described blocks may becombined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the processes.Additionally, any number of the described blocks may be optional andeliminated to implement the processes.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 800 for silentlysending predefined emergency signals to, and sharing live A/V data with,other devices in response to receiving input (e.g., touch gestures),according to various aspects of the present embodiments. In some of thepresent embodiments, the process 800 may be performed by one or moreprocessing elements of a client device 100 (FIGS. 1A and 9). Withreference to FIG. 8, at block 805, a notification may be displayedregarding a motion event or a doorbell button press event detected by anA/V device. For example, the notification 135 of FIG. 1A may bedisplayed on the user interface 120 of the client device 100.

In some of the present embodiments, the notification may be receivedfrom one or more networked devices that are associated with the clientdevice 100 and the A/V device that has detected the event. In otherembodiments, the notification may be received from the A/V devicethrough a local wired/wireless network. An example of signal exchangesfor receiving a notification (e.g., a push notification) by a clientdevice is now described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a functionaldiagram illustrating an embodiment of a system 900 for sending emergencysignals and sharing live A/V data captured by one or more A/V devices,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. With referenceto FIG. 9, the system 900 may include one or more client devices 100,922, one or more A/V devices 910, one or more networked devices 220, oneor more emergency portals 995, one or more emergency call centers 998,one or more security/alarm monitoring servers 990, and one or moremoderating servers 945, all of which are interconnected by one or morenetworks 912.

An emergency call center 998, such as a public-safety answering point(PSAP) call center in North America, may be a call center responsiblefor answering calls to an emergency telephone number (e.g., 911telephone number) for dispatching law enforcement agencies (e.g.,police, sheriff, etc.), firefighting services, and ambulance services.An emergency portal 995 may be a computing device (e.g., a server or aclient device) associated with an emergency call center 998 and mayinclude an application program, such as the application program 614 ofFIG. 6, to receive live A/V data captured by the A/V device(s) 910 fromthe networked device(s) 930. The application program may provide aninterface for an operator to view the live A/V data.

In some localities, the emergency call center(s) 998 may not have theassociated emergency portal(s) 995. Accordingly, as described below,some embodiments may send a text (or SMS) message from the client device100 to the emergency call center(s) 998 in addition to, or in lieu of,sending a message to the emergency portal(s) 995 through the network(s)912 and the networked device(s) 930.

The networked device(s) 930 may be similar to the backend servers 224described above with reference to FIG. 2. The network(s) 912 may be oneor more of the user's network 218, the network (Internet/PSTN) 212, andthe network(s) of servers/backend devices 220 described above withreference to FIG. 2.

One or more of the A/V devices 910 may include a camera 955, amicrophone 328 (FIG. 3), a speaker 330 (FIG. 3), a communicationinterface 312 (FIG. 3), etc. The A/V device(s) 910 may also include oneor more motion sensors 326 (FIG. 3) and/or motion detection software todetect motion when an object (e.g., a person 940) appears in thefield(s) of view 950 of the camera(s) 955.

With further reference to FIG. 9, an example one of the A/V devices 910may detect motion when the person 940 appears within the field of view950 of the camera 955. Alternatively, the example A/V device 910 may bea video doorbell, and may receive a video doorbell event signal when theperson 950 presses the video doorbell's front button.

The example A/V device 910 may capture A/V data of the object that hastriggered the motion (or the doorbell) event. The example A/V device 910may send (e.g., by streaming) the A/V data and an event notification tothe networked devices 930 through the network(s) 912. There may be oneor more A/V devices around a given location (e.g., a given property).Although in the example of FIG. 9 only one A/V device 910 is capturinglive A/V data of an emergency event, in other embodiments (e.g., asdescribed below with reference to FIG. 13) several A/V devices maycapture the live A/V data related to an emergency event.

When the networked device(s) 930 receive the event notification signalfrom the example A/V device 910, the networked device(s) 930 maygenerate a notification for the event and send the event notification toone or more client devices 100, 922 associated with the example A/Vdevice 910. In some embodiments, the event notification may include,among other data, a data structure (e.g., a URL) that links the event tothe associated A/V data (e.g., a video clip) being stored, e.g., at thenetworked device(s) 930.

With reference to FIG. 8, the event notification displayed at block 805may be received from the networked device(s) 912 of FIG. 9 after the A/Vdevice 910 detects a motion event or a doorbell event. With furtherreference to FIG. 8, at block 810, a selection may be received todisplay the live A/V data associated with the event. For example, aselection of the notification 135 may be received (e.g., as a result oftapping on the notification) as shown in stage 101 of FIG. 1A. Inresponse to receiving (at block 810) the selection, at block 815, thelive A/V data associated with the event may be displayed. For example,the live A/V data associated with the event as shown in stage 102 ofFIG. 1A may be displayed.

At block 820, an input (e.g., a touch gesture) may be received todisplay a control button for sending an emergency signal to, and sharingthe live A/V data with, one or more designated devices. For example, aninput such as the touch gesture as described with reference to stage 102of FIG. 1A may be received. In response to receiving the input, at block825, a control button for sending a predefined emergency message to, andsharing the live A/V data with, one or more designated devices may bedisplayed. For example, the panic button 190 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 9may be displayed.

At block 830, it may be determined whether the control button isselected. For example, it may be determined (at block 830) whether thepanic button 190 (FIGS. 1A and 9) is selected. In some embodiments, theuser may press a finger on the display 130 (if the display 130 is atouchscreen, FIG. 1A) of the client device 100 and over a certain areawhere the control button 190 is displayed, and may hold the finger for aspecific time period (e.g., 3 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.) in order toselect the panic button 190. In other embodiments, a simple selection ofthe panic button 190 (e.g., by tapping on the panic button 190), andwithout any particular touch gesture (e.g., holding the finger for atime period), may result in the selection of the panic button 190.

With further reference to FIG. 8, when it is determined (at block 830)that the control button is not selected, it may be determined (at block835) whether an option to cancel sending the emergency signal andsharing the live A/V data is selected. For example, it may be determined(at block 835) whether an option such as the return button 191 (FIGS. 1Aand 9) to cancel the operation of sending the emergency signal andsharing of the live A/V data is selected. When it is determined (atblock 835) that a cancel option is selected, the processing may end.Otherwise, the processing may return to block 830, which is describedabove.

With continued reference to FIG. 8, when it is determined (at block 830)that the control button is selected, one or more emergency signals and alink (e.g., a URL) for viewing the live A/V data associated with theemergency event may be sent (at block 840) to the designated device(s).In some aspects of the present embodiments, the emergency signal may besent (at block 840) as a text message (also referred to as a shortmessage or an SMS message) to an emergency call center, such as a PSAPcall center in North America. With reference to FIG. 9, the clientdevice 100 may send the text message to an emergency call center 998(e.g., the client device 100 may send the text message to an emergencytelephone number such as 911).

The text message may include the predefined emergency message, a link(e.g., a URL) for receiving live video of the emergency event, and/or alocation of the A/V device. The location may be a street address, or thelatitude and longitude of the A/V device. The location may also be anapproximate location, such as an identification of the closestintersection, the city block description (e.g., “100 block of MainStreet”), etc. In some of the present embodiments, some of thedesignated devices, such as the devices associated with emergencyservices and/or friends, may receive the exact location of the A/Vdevice, while the devices associated with the neighbors may receive theapproximate location of the A/V device (e.g., for the neighbors to bealerted, stay inside, call for help, etc.).

In some aspects of the present embodiments, the emergency signal(s) maybe sent (at block 840) as a message from the client device 100 of FIG. 9to the networked device(s) 930 through the network(s) 912. The messagemay include the predefined emergency message, a link (e.g., a URL) forreceiving live video of the A/V data of the emergency event, and/or alocation (e.g., an exact location or an approximate location asdescribed above) of the A/V device. The networked device(s) 930 may thensend the emergency signal(s) to one or more designated devices (e.g., asa message that is sent through network(s) 912 to the emergency portal(s)995, the client device(s) 922 of neighbors, friends, etc., and/or thesecurity/alarm monitoring server(s) 990).

In some aspects of the present embodiments, even when a user selects theoption to send the approximate location of the A/V device (e.g., asdescribed above with reference to step 108 of FIG. 1B), the emergencyportal(s) 995, the security/alarm monitoring server(s) 990, and/or theclient devices 922 of the designated friends may receive the exactlocation of the A/V device while the client device(s) 922 of theneighbors may get the approximate location of the A/V device.

In some of the present embodiments, the one or more emergency signalssent (at block 840 of FIG. 8) may include a first signal that may besent to the emergency portal(s) 995 of one or more designated lawenforcement agencies and a second signal that may be sent to adesignated set of client devices 922 (e.g., the client devices that areassociated with the same neighborhood where the user lives). In some ofthe present embodiments, when the live video footage is received from anA/V device 910 that is installed at a property within a neighborhood,the second signal may be sent to at least one client device 922 of everyuser that is associated with a geographic network of users associatedwith the neighborhood. In some aspects of the present embodiments, theneighborhood area may have been predefined (e.g., based on boundaries ofthe neighborhoods in a city). In some of the present embodiments, theuser may be able to modify the predefined neighborhood areas.Additionally, in one aspect of the present embodiments, instead of, orin addition to modifying the neighborhood area, the user may be able todirectly designate the client devices of one or more users as the clientdevices to which the second signal will be sent (even if one or more ofthe designated client devices are not within the predefined neighborhoodarea or the modified neighborhood area). For example, the user may setthe neighborhood area by accepting the predefined neighborhood area, orby creating the modified neighborhood area, and then may designate oneor more additional client devices to which the second signal will besent.

In some of the present embodiments, the second signal (e.g., the signalthat is sent to the designated client devices of the neighbors) mayinclude a notification (e.g., a push notification) to notify theneighbors of an emergency event. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of aclient device 922 that may receive an emergency notification from theclient device 100 of a neighbor, according to various aspects of thepresent embodiments. The figure, as shown, includes three stages1001-1003. As shown in stage 1001, the client device 922 may beexecuting an application unrelated to the management and control of theA/V devices. In the specific example of FIG. 10, the client device 922may be executing a browser application that is displaying a news website1005 on the display 1010 of the client device 922.

With continued reference to stage 1001 of FIG. 10, the client device 922may receive and display an emergency notification 1020 related to anemergency event captured by an A/V device 910 (FIG. 9) of another clientdevice 100 (FIG. 9). The emergency notification 1020 may display analert and may include the address of the property associated with theA/V device 910 (FIG. 9). In the example of FIG. 10, the addressidentifies an approximate location of the A/V device 910. In someembodiments, the emergency notification 1020 may also be displayed witha specific color to draw attention to the emergency event.

The emergency notification 1020, in some aspects of the presentembodiments, may be a push notification that may be displayed on thedisplay 1010 of the client device 922 (e.g., as a banner) even when theclient device 922 is not executing the application related to themanagement and control of the A/V devices. In some aspects of thepresent embodiments, the emergency notification 1020 may be displayed onthe display 1010 of the client device 922 when the client device 922 isin a locked mode. In some aspects of the present embodiments, a deviceis in the locked mode when only a reduced set of controls can be used toprovide input to the device. In some aspects of the present embodiments,when the display 1010 of the client device 922 is turned off (e.g., tosave battery power), the client device 922 may turn on the display 1010and display the emergency notification 1020. In addition to, or in lieuof, displaying a banner, the client device 922 may play an audio sound(such as one or more tones, one or more chimes, etc.) and/or the clientdevice 922 may vibrate one or more times to draw the attention of theuser of the client device.

With continued reference to FIG. 10, the emergency notification 1020 mayremain on the display of the client device 922 until the user of theclient device 922 accepts or rejects the emergency notification 1020.For example, in some of the present embodiments, the emergencynotification 1020 may be accepted by selecting (e.g., by tapping on atouchscreen or by using a pointing device) the emergency notification1020. The emergency notification 1020 may also be rejected by, forexample, sliding the notification 1020 to the right or the left andselecting a delete option, or simply by sliding the notification 1020up/down (without selecting any other option).

As shown in stage 1002, the user has selected the emergency notification1020 (e.g., by tapping on the displayed emergency notification 1020).Stage 1003 of FIG. 10 shows that after the selection of the emergencynotification 1020, live video is displayed in the display area 1025 onthe display 1010 of the client device 922. The display area 1025 mayalso display an emergency message 1030 that was included in the secondemergency signal that was sent from the client device 100 (FIG. 9) tothe client devices 912 (e.g., of the neighbors).

In some embodiments, the emergency signals that are sent from the clientdevice 100 to the networked device(s) 130 may be moderated prior tosending the emergency signals to the designated devices. In someembodiments, the emergency signals sent to all designated devices (e.g.,the client device(s) 922, the security/alarm monitoring server(s) 990,and the emergency portal(s) 995) may be moderated. In some embodiments,the emergency signals sent to some of the designated devices (e.g., theclient device(s) 922 of the neighbors or the client device(s) 922 of theneighbors and friends) may be moderated while the emergency signals sentto other designated devices (e.g., the emergency portal(s) 995 and/orthe security/alarm monitoring server(s) 990) may not be moderated. Yet,some embodiments may not include the moderating server(s) 945 and maynot moderate the emergency signals. In some embodiments, the text (orSMS) messages that are sent from the client device 100 to the emergencycall center(s) 998 may not be moderated.

With further reference to FIG. 9, the emergency signal and the link tothe live A/V data may be sent from the networked device(s) to themoderating server(s) 945. The moderating server(s) 945 may be operatedby one or more moderators who may review the emergency signals and/orthe live A/V data to (1) confirm that there is an actual emergencysituation and/or (2) provide additional information to the live videoand/or the emergency message to assist emergency services, neighbors,friends, etc., whose devices may receive the emergency signal and thelink to the live A/V data. The moderator may also delete some of thecontent of the message and/or the A/V data (e.g., edit the video to onlyinclude a small portion of the video that shows a suspicious person).

In some of the present embodiments, the moderating server(s) 945 maythen forward the emergency signal (with or without additional data addedby a moderator) and the link to the live A/V data to one or moredesignated devices 995, 922, and/or 990. In other embodiments, themoderating server(s) 945 may forward the emergency signal (with orwithout additional data added by a moderator) and the link to the liveA/V data to networked device(s) 930 and the networked devices 930 maythen forward the emergency signal and the link to the live A/V data tothe designated devices. Although shown as separate devices, in oneaspect of the present embodiments, the moderating server(s) 945 may bepart of the backend/networked devices 930 (FIG. 9).

With further reference to FIG. 8, at block 845, one or more selectionsfor editing and sending a customized emergency signal (e.g., a modifiedtext message) to one or more designated devices may be displayed. Thedetails of the block 845 are described below with reference to FIG. 12.The processing may then end.

The specific operations of the process 800 may not be performed in theexact order shown and described. Furthermore, the specific operationsdescribed with reference to FIG. 8 may not be performed in onecontinuous series of operations, in some aspects of the presentdisclosure, and different specific operations may be performed indifferent embodiments. For instance, in some aspects of the presentembodiments, in addition to sending the emergency signal(s) and the linkto the live A/V data received from the A/V device (e.g., the A/V device910 of FIG. 9), an activation signal may be sent to one or more otherA/V devices associated with a property where the A/V device 910 islocated. The activated A/V device(s) may start recording thesurroundings of the property to record other potential perpetratorssituated around the property, and/or to record the same perpetratormoving to different locations around the property. Sharing the live A/Vdata from multiple A/V devices is described below with reference to FIG.13.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 1100 for silentlysending predefined or customized emergency signals to, and sharing liveA/V data with, other devices, according to various aspects of thepresent embodiments. In some of the present embodiments, the process1100 may be performed by one or more processing elements of a clientdevice 100 (FIGS. 1C and 9).

With reference to FIG. 11, the process 1100 may display (at block 1105)a notification regarding a motion event or a doorbell event detected byan A/V device. For example, the process may display the notification 135of FIG. 1C on the user interface 120 of the client device 100. Theprocess 1100 may receive the notification from the networked device(s)930 or the A/V device 910 as described above with reference to block 805(FIG. 8).

With further reference to FIG. 11, at block 1110, a selection to displaythe live A/V data associated with the event may be received. Forexample, a selection of the notification 135 may be received (e.g., bytapping on the notification as shown in stage 111 of FIG. 1C). Inresponse to receiving (at block 1110) the selection, at block 1115, thelive A/V data associated with the event and a control button for sendingan emergency signal to, and sharing the live A/V data with, one or moredesignated devices may be displayed. For example, the live A/V dataassociated with the event and a panic button 145 as shown in stage 112of FIG. 1C may be displayed.

In response to the selection of the control button, a predefinedemergency message may be displayed (at block 1120) and options may beprovided for editing, sending, or canceling one or more emergencysignal(s) to, and the sharing of the live A/V data with, one or moredesignated devices. For example, the predefined message 161, the submitbutton 163, and the return option 191 may be displayed as shown in stage113 of FIG. 1C.

At block 1125, the option that is selected may be determined. When it isdetermined (at block 1125) that the cancel option is selected, theprocessing may end. For example, it may be determined that the returnoption 191 is selected in stage 113 of FIG. 1C and the sending of theemergency signals and the sharing of the live A/V data may be canceled.

With reference to FIG. 11, when it is determined (at block 1125) thatthe edit option is selected, one or more selections may be displayed (atblock 1130) for editing and sending a customized emergency signal to oneor more designated devices. The details of block 1130 are described inthe process 1200 illustrated in FIG. 12.

With further reference to FIG. 11, when it is determined (at block 1125)that the send option is selected, one or more emergency signals and alink (e.g., a URL) for viewing the live A/V data may be sent (at block1135) to the designated devices. For example, it may be determined (atblock 1125) that the submit button 163 in stage 113 of FIG. 1C isselected. One or more signals may then be sent (at block 1135) to thedesignated devices, for example, as described above with reference toblock 840 (FIG. 8). The processing may then end.

The specific operations of the process 1100 may not be performed in theexact order shown and described. Furthermore, the specific operationsdescribed with reference to FIG. 11 may not be performed in onecontinuous series of operations, in some aspects of the presentdisclosure, and different specific operations may be performed indifferent embodiments. For instance, in some aspects of the presentembodiments, in addition to sending the emergency signal(s) and the linkto the live A/V data received from the A/V device (e.g., the A/V device910 of FIG. 9), an activation signal may be sent to one or more otherA/V devices associated with a property where the A/V device 910 islocated. The activated A/V devices may start recording the surroundingsof the property to record other potential perpetrators situated aroundthe property, and/or record the same perpetrator moving to differentlocations around the property. Sharing the live A/V data from multipleA/V devices is described below with reference to FIG. 13.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 1200 for editingand sending customized emergency message(s) associated with the live A/Vdata of an emergency event, according to various aspects of the presentembodiments. In some of the present embodiments, the process 1200 may beperformed by one or more processing elements of a client device 100(FIGS. 1B and 9). The process 1200, in some of the present embodiments,may provide further details of block 855 of FIG. 8 or block 1130 of FIG.11.

With reference to FIG. 12, a default emergency message regarding anemergency event that is being captured by an A/V device may be displayed(at block 1205). For example, a default message may be displayed in thedisplay area 174 as shown in stage 106 of FIG. 1B. At block 1210, one ormore options may be displayed for including an address (or otherlocation information) associated with the emergency event, for editingthe emergency message, or for cancelling the emergency message. Forexample, at block 1210, the option 178 (“Send Exact Address”) of FIG. 1Bmay be displayed for sending an exact address and the option 179 (“SendApproximate Address”) may be displayed for sending an approximatelocation associated with the property where the A/V device that iscapturing the live A/V data of the emergency is located. In some of thepresent embodiments, the exact address 178 and the approximate location179 may be predefined (e.g., by a user).

At block 1210, an option for editing the emergency message may beprovided. In some embodiments, any key on the keyboard 177 of FIG. 1Bmay be selected to add, delete, or modify a character in the emergencymessage. The emergency message may be edited as long as the characterson the keyboard are selected. At block 1210, an option to cancel theemergency message may be displayed. For example, at block 1210, theoption 188 (“Cancel”) of FIG. 1B may be displayed to cancel theemergency message.

At block 1215, the option that is selected may be determined. When it isdetermined (at block 1215) that a keyboard input is made (e.g., a key onthe keyboard 177 of FIG. 1B is selected) to edit the emergency message,the emergency message may be edited (at block 1220) based on thekeyboard input. For example, the emergency message displayed in thedisplay area 176 may be edited based on an input from the keyboard 177and the current location 176 pointed by a pointing device. Theprocessing may return to block 1215 to allow the user to either continueediting the emergency message by selecting another key on the keyboardor select other options to send or cancel the emergency message.

When it is determined (at block 1215) that the cancel option isselected, the processing may end. For example, it may be determined thatthe cancel option 188 is selected in stage 106 of FIG. 1B and thesending of the emergency signals and the sharing of the live A/V datamay be canceled. When it is determined (at block 1215) that the addressselection option is selected, an emergency signal may be generated (atblock 1225) based on the emergency message and the selected address.

Next, one or more emergency signals and a link (e.g., a URL) for viewingthe live A/V data may be sent (at block 1230) to the designated devices.For example, the one or more signals may be sent to the designateddevices as described above with reference to block 840 (FIG. 8). Theprocessing may then end.

The specific operations of the process 1200 may not be performed in theexact order shown and described. Furthermore, the specific operationsdescribed with reference to FIG. 12 may not be performed in onecontinuous series of operations, in some aspects of the presentdisclosure, and different specific operations may be performed indifferent embodiments. For instance, in some aspects of the presentembodiments, a blank display area may be provided (at block 1205) forentering a customized emergency message instead of displaying a defaultmessage.

As described above, in some aspects of the present embodiments, when theuser selects a panic button on the client device, in addition to theemergency signals that are sent to the designated neighbor devices, theemergency call center, and the alarm system monitoring center, anactivation signal may be sent to one or more other A/V devices that areassociated with the client device and/or the user. For example, if theclient device receives live video recorded by a first A/V deviceinstalled at the property of the user, and the user, in response towatching the video, selects a panic button, an activation signal may besent to any other A/V device(s) that are installed at the same propertyto activate those other A/V devices. The activated A/V devices mayadvantageously record other potential perpetrators around the property,and/or the same perpetrator at different locations around the property.For example, FIG. 13 is a functional diagram illustrating an embodimentof a system that uses several A/V devices to capture and share live A/Vdata during an emergency, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. The figure, as shown, includes two stages 1301 and 1302.

With reference to FIG. 13, stage 1301 shows the client device 100displaying the live A/V data captured by a first A/V device 910. Thedisplayed live A/V data may show images of a person 940. As shown, thedisplay 130 of the client device 100 may display a panic button 1310,for example, as described above with reference to stage 103 of FIG. 1A,or stage 112 of FIG. 1C. Stage 1301 also shows that the user of theclient device 100 may select the panic button 1310 (e.g., by tapping onthe panic button 1310 on the display 130 (e.g., touchscreen) of theclient device 100 or by selecting the panic button 1310 using a pointingdevice such as a mouse) in order to send emergency signals and sharelive A/V data of an emergency event with other devices (e.g., asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 1A).

In some of the present embodiments, after the panic button 1310 isselected, the client device 100 may send an activation signal (e.g., inaddition to the other above-described emergency signals) to one or moreother A/V devices associated with the property 1315 where the first A/Vdevice 910 is located. In some of the present embodiments, the clientdevice 100 may send the activation signal to the networked device(s) 930(FIG. 9) through the network(s) 912 and the networked device(s) 930 maysend the activation signal through the network(s) 912 to the other A/Vdevices associated with the property 1315 (e.g., to a second A/V device1320). In other embodiments, the client device may send the activationsignal to the other A/V device(s) 1320 through a local network such asthe user's network 218 of FIG. 2. In some of the present embodiments,the client device may send the activation signal to the other A/Vdevices in response to the selection of one of the options 178 (“SendExact Address”) or 179 (“Send Approximate Location”) of FIG. 1B.

With reference to stage 1302 of FIG. 13, the second A/V device 1320 hasbeen activated and may be transmitting A/V data to the networked devices930 (FIG. 9) through the network(s) 912. The second A/V device 1320 maycapture images of the first person 940 from a different angle than thefirst A/V device 910 or may capture images of a second person 1350.

The networked devices 930 may analyze the live A/V data from the secondA/V device 1320 and may determine, based on the analysis, to send thelive A/V data captured by the second A/V device 1320 to the clientdevice 100 to display on a split screen. The networked devices 930,based on the analysis, may send the live A/V data captured by the secondA/V device 1320 to any designated device(s) (e.g., one or more of theemergency portal(s) 995, the client devices 922, and/or thesecurity/alarm monitoring server(s) 990 of FIG. 9) that has/havereceived the emergency notification for the emergency event (e.g., asshown in step 1001 of FIG. 10) and is/are currently receiving live A/Vdata of the event (e.g., as shown in step 1003 of FIG. 10). Thenetworked devices 930 may determine, based on the analysis, that thelive A/V data may be stored (e.g., at the remote storage device(s) 222of FIG. 2) for later review without sending to the client device 100.

When the client device 100 receives the live A/V data from the secondA/V device 1320, the display 130 of the client device 100 may show thelive A/V data received from both of the A/V devices 910 and 1320 on asplit screen. In the example of FIG. 13, the display 130 of the clientdevice 100 is split into two sections 1360 and 1365. The display section1360 shows the live A/V data captured by the first A/V device 910 (e.g.,the display section 1360 may show the images of the first person 940).The display section 1365 shows the live A/V data captured by the secondA/V device 1320 (e.g., the display section 1365 may show the images ofthe second person 1350).

When there are several A/V devices 210 that are associated with theproperty 1315, the networked device(s) 930 may analyze the live A/V datacaptured by the A/V devices 210 and may determine, based on theanalysis, to send the live A/V data captured by one or more of the A/Vdevices 210 to the client device 100 to display on a split screen (e.g.,a screen divided into two sections, three sections, etc.). The networkeddevice(s) 930 may use image processing and/or computer vision to findother possible intruders on the property and/or to locate the firstperson 940 as he or she moves around the property 1315. The networkeddevice(s) 930 may send the live A/V data from the one or more A/Vdevices 210 that are capturing the images of a person 1350 and may notsend the live A/V data from the A/V devices 210 that are not capturingthe images of a person.

In some of the present embodiments, when the networked device(s) 930send live data from additional A/V device(s) 210 to the client device100 regarding the emergency event, the networked device(s) 930 mayupdate the link (or URL) that is sent to other designated devices toinclude the live A/V data captured by the additional A/V device(s) 210in order for the other designated device to display on a split screen.For example, if a neighbor's client device that has received anemergency notification regarding the emergency event at the property1315 and is displaying (e.g., as shown in step 1003 of FIG. 10) the liveA/V data captured by the A/V device 940, the neighbor's client device922 (FIG. 10) may receive an updated link that includes live A/V datafrom another A/V device 210 if the other A/V device 210 is activated andthe networked device(s) 930 have determined that the live A/V data fromthe other A/V device 210 is to be sent to the client device 100 and toother designated devices that have received the emergency notificationregarding the emergency event. The display of the neighbor's clientdevice may then display the A/V data from the two A/V devices 910 and1320 in a split screen similar to the display 130 of the client device100 in step 1302 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 14 is an example sequence diagram 1400 illustrating data itemsexchanged between devices in a communication system for silently sendingemergency signals to, and sharing live A/V data with, other devices,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. With referenceto FIG. 14, a first A/V device 910 may send an event notification 1405to the networked device(s) 930. For example, the A/V device 910 (FIG. 9)may detect the presence of the person 940 in the field of view 950, orthe A/V device 910 may receive a push of the doorbell button.

With further reference to FIG. 14, the first A/V device 910 may activateits camera and may send live A/V data 1410 to the networked device(s)930. For example, the A/V device 910 (FIG. 9) may activate the camera955, capture live A/V data, and send the live A/V data (e.g., bystreaming) to the networked device(s) 930. The networked device(s) 930may then send an event notification 1415 to the client device 100. Forexample, the networked device(s) 930 may send the event notification 135(FIGS. 1A and 1C) to the client device 100.

With continued reference to FIG. 14, the client device 100 may display(at block 1420) the event notification. For example, the client device100 (FIGS. 1A and 1C) may display the event notification 135 on thedisplay 130 of the client device 100. The client device 100 may thensend a request for live A/V data 1425 to the networked device(s) 930.For example, the client device 100 may send a request for the live A/Vdata in response to the selection of the notification 135, as shown instage 101 of FIG. 1A or stage 111 of FIG. 1C.

With further reference to FIG. 14, the networked device(s) 930 may send,for example by streaming, the live A/V data 1430 to the client device100. For example, the networked device(s) 930 (FIG. 9) may transmit thelive A/V data to the client device 100. The client device may thendisplay (at block 1435) the live A/V data. For example, the clientdevice 100 may display the live A/V data, as shown in stage 102 of FIG.1A or stage 112 of FIG. 1C.

In some of the present embodiments, the client device 100 may receive(at block 1440) a touch gesture (or other input), and may display (atblock 1445) a panic button in response to receiving the touch gesture.For example, as shown in stage 102 of FIG. 1A, the client device 100 mayreceive a touch gesture, and may display the panic button 190 (e.g.,partially superimposed on the live A/V data). In other embodiments, theclient device 100 (FIG. 1C) may display the panic button 190 on thedisplay 130 of the client device without receiving a touch gesture orother input (e.g., as described above with reference to stage 112 ofFIG. 1C). In these embodiments, block 1440 of FIG. 14 may be omitted.

With further reference to FIG. 14, the client device 100 may, in some ofthe present embodiments, receive modifications to the emergency message(at block 1450) from the user of the client device prior to sending anemergency signal to the networked device(s). For example, as shown inFIG. 1B, the user may be provided with a user interface to edit theemergency message displayed in the display area 174.

With continued reference to FIG. 14, the client device may generate andsend one or more emergency signals and a link to the live A/V data 1455to the networked device(s) 930, for example, as described above withreference to block 840 of FIG. 8 or block 1135 of FIG. 11. The emergencysignal(s) may include an address associated with the property where thefirst A/V device 910 is located.

In the embodiments that may require moderation of the emergency signal,the networked device(s) 930 may send the emergency signals and the linkto the live A/V data 1460 to the moderating server(s) 945. For example,the networked device(s) 930 may send the emergency signal(s) and a linkto the live A/V data to the moderating server(s) 945, as described abovewith reference to FIG. 9. The emergency signal(s) may include an addressassociated with the property where the A/V device 910 is located.

With reference to FIG. 14, the moderating server(s) 945 may moderate (atblock 1465) the emergency signal(s). For example, the moderatingserver(s) 945 may add to, modify, and/or delete all of or a portion ofthe emergency message that is included in the emergency signal(s). Themoderating server(s) 945 may also moderate (at block 1460) the live A/Vdata to provide more information for the recipient's devices. Themoderating server(s) 945 may then send the emergency signal(s) and thelink to the live A/V data 1470 (with or without moderation) to one ormore of the designated device(s) 922, 990, 995, for example as describedabove with reference to FIG. 9. In some embodiments, the moderatingserver(s) 945 may forward (not shown) the emergency signal (with orwithout additional data added by a moderator) and the link to the liveA/V data to the networked device(s) 930, and the networked devices 930may then forward the emergency signal and the link to the live A/V datato the designated device(s) 922, 990, 995. Although shown as separatedevices, in one aspect of the present embodiments, the moderatingserver(s) 945 may be part of the networked device(s) 930.

In some embodiments, the emergency signals sent to some of thedesignated devices (e.g., the client device(s) 922 of the neighborsand/or the client device(s) 922 of the neighbors and the friends) may bemoderated while the emergency signals sent to other designated devices(e.g., the emergency portal(s) 995 and/or the security/alarm monitoringserver(s) 990) may not be moderated. Some embodiments may not includethe moderating server(s) 945 and may not moderate the emergency signals.With reference to FIG. 14, for the designated devices that do notrequire moderation, or in the embodiments that do not moderate theemergency signals, the networked device(s) 930 may send the emergencysignal(s) and the link to the live A/V data 1475 to some or all of thedesignated devices 922, 990, 995. The emergency signal(s) may include anaddress associated with the property where the A/V device 910 islocated.

With continued reference to FIG. 14, the client device 100 may send theemergency signal and a link to the live A/V data 1478 as a text (or SMS)message to the emergency call center(s) 998. The networked device(s) 930may receive a request for the live A/V data 1480 from one or more of thedevices 922, 990, 995. The networked device(s) 930 may send, for exampleby streaming, the live A/V data 1485 to the requesting devices 922, 990,995.

With reference to FIG. 14, the networked device(s) 930 may send anactivation signal 1490 to one or more second A/V devices 1320 that areassociated with the same property as the property where the first A/Vdevice 910 is located. For example, the networked device(s) 930 may sendan activation signal to activate one or more second A/V devices 1320, asdescribed above with reference to step 1302 of FIG. 13. In response, thesecond A/V devices 1320 may activate their cameras and may send, e.g.,by streaming, the live A/V data 1492 captured by their cameras to thenetworked device(s) 930.

The networked device(s) 930 may generate (at block 1494) split-screenlive A/V data (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 13), andmay send the split-screen live A/V data 1495 to the client device 100.The networked device(s) 930 may also send the split-screen live A/V data1497 to one or more other designated devices 922, 990, and/or 995.

In some of the present embodiments, the client device 100 may furtherprovide an option for the user of the client device 100 to generate acustomized emergency message and include the customized emergencymessage in another emergency signal, as described above with referenceto FIG. 1B. In these embodiments, the client device 100 of FIG. 14 mayreceive modifications to a predefined emergency message (or to a blankemergency message), and may send the customized emergency message to thenetworked device(s) 930 using similar steps as described above withreference to steps 1450 and 1455.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a geographic network of users,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In someexamples, a geographic network may be executed by a geographic networkplatform, such as a geographic network platform operating on the backendserver 224 and/or one or more other or additional components of thenetwork of servers/backend devices 220. As such, the backend server 224and/or one or more other or additional components of the network ofservers/backend devices 220 may store and/or maintain the components,features, and/or functionality of the geographic network platform. Insome examples, and without limitation, the geographic network may be aneighborhood-oriented or local-oriented network, such as Neighborhoods®or Nextdoor®. In other examples, and without limitation, the geographicnetwork may be a social media network (or a feature within a socialmedia network), such as Facebook®, Twitter®, or Instagram®.

The geographic network platform may enable users of the geographicnetwork to share content (e.g., image data (e.g., image data 406), audiodata (e.g., audio data 408), text data (e.g., text data 414), input data(e.g., input data 410), motion data (e.g., motion data 412), and/orother data from the user's A/V device (e.g., the A/V device 210) and/orthe user's client device (e.g., the client device(s) 214, 216)) withother users of the geographic network. The geographic network platformmay allow users that are located within geographic area(s) to registerwith the geographic network to access content shared by other userswithin the geographic area(s). As such, the content that a particularuser may have access to may be based on the user's location (e.g., thelocation of the user's residence, the location of one or more A/Vdevices associated with the user, the current location of the user(e.g., based on a location of the user's client device), etc.) and/orthe location of the electronic device(s) (e.g., the A/V device 210, theclient device(s) 214, 216, etc.) that generated the content. Forexample, users that are located in a geographic area may share contentwith other users in the geographic area and/or in a similar geographicarea, and/or users may view content shared by other users that arelocated within his or her geographic area (e.g., a neighborhood, a town,a city, a state, a user-defined area, etc.) and/or in a similargeographic area.

In some examples, a user may register with the geographic networkplatform if the user has an A/V device and/or has an application (e.g.,a mobile application, a web application, etc.) associated with thegeographic network installed on and/or running on his or her clientdevice. When registering for the geographic network, the user mayregister, or be required to register, with respect to a geographic area.In some examples, a user may register with the geographic area of thegeographic network if the user's residence is located within thegeographic area and/or the user has A/V device(s) located (e.g.,installed) within the geographic area. In some examples, a user may be amember to one or more geographic areas of the geographic network.

In some examples, a user may be verified to a geographic area of thegeographic network that the user is requesting to join. For example, todetermine if the user is actually located within a geographic area, GNSSdata of the user's A/V device may be used (e.g., during and/or afterinstallation, provisioning, and/or setup of the A/V device). As anotherexample, to determine if the user is actually located within ageographic area, GNSS data of the user's client device may be compared(e.g., over a period time) to an address input by the user. For example,if the user inputs an address, and the location of the user's clientdevice is within a threshold proximity to the address (e.g., over theperiod of time, which may be, for example and without limitation, fourhours, six hours, twenty-four hours, two days, etc.), the user may beverified to the address, and thus verified to the geographic area of thegeographic network. A verified user may have full access to features ofthe geographic network, and/or full access to content shared by otherusers of the geographic network in the geographic area that the user isverified for. Non-verified users may have limited access to featuresand/or content of the geographic network. For example, non-verifiedusers may only be able to view content, but not interact with (e.g.,comment on, like, share, etc.) the content, and/or may not be able toshare his or her own content. A single user may be a verified user ofone geographic area of the geographic network and may be a non-verifieduser of a second geographic area of the geographic network.

In some examples, a provider of the geographic network platform (e.g.,hosted on the backend server 224) may receive shared content from anyuser that is associated with the provider and/or the geographic network,but each individual user may only share content with and/or view contentshared from other users within a geographic area of the user. As aresult, content provided to and/or made available to each user by thegeographic network platform may be unique to each user (e.g., based onthe unique location of the user's residence and/or the user's A/Vdevices, etc.), and/or unique to a geographic area (e.g., all usersassociated with a geographic area of the geographic network).

In one illustration of a geographic network, the geographic networkplatform may facilitate a content feed to allows a user of thegeographic network to post videos, photos, text, and/or other data toalert other members of possible suspicious activity in a geographicarea. Additionally, or alternatively, news items, police sourcedinformation, and/or other third-party data may be posted to the contentfeed of the geographic network (e.g., by the users and/or by theprovider of the geographic network (e.g., the host of the geographicnetwork platform)), that are related to crime and/or safety of thegeographic area (e.g., restricting news items to those related to thegeographic area). Members of the geographic network may rate, like,dislike, comment, download, share an existing post/alert with others,and/or upload a new post/alert to the content feed to provide additionalinformation for other users.

A geographic area of a geographic network may be defined using variousmethods. For example, a geographic area may be associated with one ormore neighborhoods, towns, zip codes, cities, states, or countries. Inanother example, a geographic area may be determined by the backendserver 224 based on grouping a particular number of A/V devices orclient devices about a particular vicinity. In a further example, a usermay customize a geographic area (e.g., by drawing the geographic area ona map, by providing a radius from the user's property for which the userwould like to view shared content, by positioning a boundary (e.g.,using markers to define a polygon) of the geographic area over a map,etc.). In such an example, the user's geographic area may be unique tothe user.

For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 15, a portion of the geographicnetwork is shown. With reference to FIG. 15, and during a setup orregistration process with the geographic network, the location 1508 tobe associated with the user of the client device 214 may be determined(e.g., based on an address being input by the user, based on adetermination of the location of the client device 214, based on thelocation of the A/V device(s) 210 associated with the user (in exampleswhere the user 214 has one or more A/V devices 210), etc.). In someexamples, the user may then be associated with the geographic area 1504of the geographic network, such as based on the neighborhood, town,city, zip code, state, country, or other area that the user is located.In one example, the geographic area 1504 may be the town that thelocation 1508 associated with the user is located. In other examples,the user may define, on the map 1506, the geographic area 1504 of thegeographic network that the user wishes to have access to content, whichmay include the location 1508 associated with the user. To define thegeographic area 1504, the user may overlay a predefined shape on the map1506 (e.g., a rectangle, as shown, a circle, a triangle, a square, apolygon, etc.), may position any number of vertices to define a polygonon the map 1506, may define a radius about the location 1508 associatedwith the user, may draw the geographic area 1504 on the map, etc. Thegeographic network may limit the size of the geographic area 1504 forthe user. The size may be limited to a maximum distance in any directionfrom the location 1508 (e.g., a radius) associated with the user of lessthan, for example and without limitation, two miles, five miles, tenmiles, fifteen miles, fifty miles, or the like.

Although the geographic area 1504 includes the geographic area 1504 ofthe geographic network that the user may desire to view content from,the content shared by the user may be shared with a larger, smaller,and/or different geographic area of the geographic network than thegeographic area 1504. For example, the geographic area 1504 may includethe geographic area that the user can view content in, but any userslocated within the entire portion of the map 1506 displayed on theclient device 214 may be able to view content shared by the user of theclient device 214 (e.g., depending on the geographic areas defined byand/or associated with the other users located within the portion of themap 1506). For example, users of the geographic network havingassociated location(s) 1510 outside of the geographic area 1504 may beable to view the content shared by the user of the client device 214,but the user of the client device 214 may not be able to view, or maychoose not to view (e.g., by defining the geographic area 1504 that doesnot include the locations 1510), the content shared by the user(s)associated with the location(s) 1510. In other examples, the geographicarea 1504 that the user of the client device 214 desires to view contentfrom may also be the same geographic area 1504 that users can viewcontent shared by the user of the client device 214. For example, wherethe geographic area 1504 is a town, each of the users located within thetown may only be able to view and share content with each other userlocated in the town. As another example, where the geographic area 1504is defined by the user of the client device 214, the user of the clientdevice 214 may only be able to view content by the users who are locatedwithin the geographic area 1504 and the users within the geographic area1504 may be the only users that can view content shared by the user ofthe client device 214.

With further reference to FIG. 15, and during use of the geographicnetwork platform by the user of the client device 214, the user mayaccess a GUI on the client device 214 (e.g., within a mobile or webapplication). The user may desire to view shared content from users ofthe geographic area 1504 of the geographic network. As such, the iconsillustrating the locations 1502 may be included within the geographicarea 1502 because data generated by client devices and/or A/V devices ofusers associated with the locations 1502 may be available for viewing.In some examples, the icons may be included because the content has notyet been viewed by the user, because the content was shared within atime period (e.g., within the last day, within the last two days, withinthe last week, etc.), and/or based on other criteria. The user mayselect the icons, and in response, the user may receive the content(e.g., the image data, audio data, the text data, etc.) associated withthe icons (e.g., from the backend server 224). Although illustrated asicons on a map, in some examples, the content may additionally, oralternatively, be provided as a list. For example, the list may includetext describing the content (e.g., date, time, description, location(e.g., as a selectable icon, that when selected may allow the user toview the location on a map), etc.), and individual listings may beselectable, similar to the icons on the map 1506.

FIG. 16 is a signal diagram of a process 1600 for streaming and storingA/V content from the A/V device 210, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure. The network device 1602 may include one or more ofthe hub device 202, the VA device 208, and/or any of the components ofthe network(s) of servers/backend devices 220 (e.g., the backend server224, the backend API 226, the storage devices 222, etc.).

The process 1600, at block B1604, detects an object in a field of viewof a camera and/or a field of view of a motion sensor. For example, theA/V device 210 may detect the presence of an object within a field ofview of view of the motion sensor(s) 326 (e.g., a motion sensor field ofview) and/or a field of view of the camera 314 (e.g., a camera field ofview). To detect motion using the motion sensor(s) 326, the data type(e.g., voltage for PIR sensors) from the output signal of the motionsensor(s) 326 may be analyzed, by the processor(s) 310 of the A/V device210, to determine whether the output signal is indicative of motion ofan object that should prompt the recording of the image data 406 and/oraudio data 408 at block B1606 and signal S1608. To detect motion usingthe camera 314, the processor(s) 310 of the A/V device 210 may analyzethe image data 406 by performing, for example, a frame by framecomparison of a change in pixels, to determine whether the image data406 is indicative of motion of an object that should prompt therecording and transmission of image data 406 and/or audio data 408 atblock B1606 and signal S1608.

The process 1600, at block B1606, records video data and/or audio data.For example, the processor(s) 310 of the A/V device 210 may cause thecamera 314 to begin generating the image data 406 and/or themicrophone(s) 328 to being recording the audio data 408.

The process 1600, at signal S1608, transmits the video data and/or theaudio data to a network device 1602. For example, the processor(s) 310of the A/V device 210, using the communication module 312, may transmitthe image data 406 and/or the audio data 408 to the network device 1602.In response, the network device 1602 may receive, by respectiveprocessor(s) and using respective communication module(s), the imagedata 406 and/or the audio data 408. In some embodiments, the image data406 and/or the audio data 408 is transmitted to the hub device 202and/or the VA device 208, and the hub device 202 and/or the VA device208 may transmit (or forward) the image data 406 and/or the audio data408 to one or more components of the network(s) of servers/backenddevices 220. In either embodiment, the network device 1602 may transmitthe image data 406 and/or the audio data 408 to a client device(s) 214,216. In other embodiments, the image data 406 and/or the audio data 408may be transmitted to the hub device 202 and/or the VA device 208, andthe hub device 202 and/or the VA device 208 may transmit (or forward)the image data 406 and/or the audio data 408 to the client device(s)214, 216. Still, in some embodiments, the image data 406 and/or theaudio data 408 may be transmitted directly to the client device(s) 214,216 from the A/V device 210.

The process 1600, at block B1610, stores the video data and/or the audiodata. For example, the network device 1602 may store the image data 406and/or the audio data 408. The image data 406 and/or the audio data 408may be stored for future access by the user(s) of the A/V device 210(e.g., as Cloud storage). In some embodiments, the A/V device 210 maystore the image data 406 and/or the audio data 408 locally (e.g., in thememory 402). In some embodiments, the image data 406 and/or the audiodata 408 may not be stored, except during buffering, compression, and/orlive (or near-live) streaming of the image data 406 and/or the audiodata 408 to the client device(s) 214, 216. In such embodiments, at theconclusion of a motion event (e.g., when an object is no longer in thecamera field of view and/or the motion sensor field of view), the videodata and/or the audio data may be deleted from the network device 1602.

The process 1600, at signal S1612, transmits a message to the clientdevice. For example, the network device 1602 may transmit, by therespective processor(s) and using the respective communicationmodule(s), a message 416 to the client device(s) 214, 216. In someembodiments, the message 416 may be generated and transmitted, by theprocessor(s) 310 and using the communication module 312, directly to theclient device(s) 214, 216 from the A/V device 210. The message 416 maybe a notification (e.g., a push notification, a message (e.g., an SMSmessage), an email, a phone call, a signal, and/or another type ofmessage. The message 416 may be configured to provide a user of theclient device(s) 214, 216 with an indication that an object is presentat the A/V device 210. In some embodiments, the message 416 may beinformative as to the type of motion detected and/or object present atthe A/V device 210. For example, if a person, an animal, a parcel, or avehicle is present, the message 416 may include an indication of such.As another example, if the person and/or animal detected are known to bedangerous and/or are acting suspicious (as determined using computervision processing, image processing, behavioral analysis, third partysource(s), etc.), the message 416 may include an indication of such.

The process 1600, at signal S1614, transmits an acceptance or denial ofthe message. For example, the client device(s) 214, 216 may transmit, bythe processor(s) 702 and using the communication module 710, anacceptance or denial of the message 416. In various embodiments,acceptance of the message 416 includes an acknowledgement of receipt ofthe message 416 from the client device(s) 214, 216. In yet otherembodiments, the acceptance includes the user interacting with (e.g.,selecting through a user interface a user interface element of a modalwindow displayed by a display device the client device(s) 214, 216) themessage 416. Furthermore, denial of the message 416 may include avariety of different actions and/or information. In one example, adenial includes a failure of the client device(s) 214, 216 to provide aresponse to the message 416 within an interval of time. In yet anotherexample, the denial includes the user interacting with the message 416by at least selecting an “ignore” user interface element of a GUI 718 ofthe client device(s) 214, 216. In response, the hub device 202, the VAdevice 208, and/or one or more components of the network(s) ofservers/backend devices 220 may receive, by the respective processorsand using the respective communication modules, the acceptance or denialof the message 416 from the client device(s) 214, 216.

The process 1600, at block B1616, determines whether the message wasaccepted or denied. For example, the network device 1602 may determine,by the respective processors, whether the message 416 was accepted ordenied. In some embodiments, the processor(s) 310 of the A/V device 210,using the communication module 312, may determine whether the message416 was accepted or denied (e.g., in embodiments where the A/V device210 and the client device(s) 214, 216 communicate directly). When themessage 416 is denied, the process 1600 may end, or another transmissiontype of the message may be generated (e.g., if a user denies a pushnotification, an SMS message may be transmitted). When the message 416is accepted, the image data 406 and/or the audio data 408 may betransmitted to the client device(s) 214, 216 that accepted the message416.

The process 1600, at signal S1618, transmits the video data and/or theaudio data to the client device(s) 214, 216. For example, network device1602, by the respective processor(s) and using the respectivecommunication module(s), may transmit the image data 406 and/or theaudio data 408 to the client device(s) 214, 216. In response, the clientdevice(s) 214, 216, by the processor(s) 702 and using the communicationmodule 710, may receive the image data 406 and/or the audio data 408. Insome embodiments, the image data 406 and/or the audio data 408 may betransmitted by the processor(s) 310 of the A/V device 210, using thecommunication module 312, directly to the client device(s) 214, 216.

The process 1600, at block B1620, displays the video data and/or outputsthe audio data. For example, the processor(s) of the client device(s)214, 216 may cause display, on the display 716 of the client device(s)214, 216, the image data 406 and/or may cause output, by the speaker(s)708 of the client device(s) 214, 216, the audio data 408. In addition todisplaying the image data 406 and/or outputting the audio data 408, aGUI 718 may be displayed on the client device(s) 214, 216 that may allowa user of the client device(s) 214, 216 to perform one more actions. Theone or more actions may include outputting a siren, or alarm, byselecting a siren/alarm icon, changing camera settings (e.g., pan, tilt,zoom, brightness, contrast, etc.) by selecting one or more camerasettings icons, activating one or more modes by selecting a modeactivation icon (e.g., for activating a parcel protection mode formonitoring a package in the camera field of view), arming or disarming asecurity system by selecting an arm/disarm icon, unlocking a door byselecting a door lock icon, etc. In some embodiments, the GUI 718 mayfurther include a talk icon for initiating a two-way communicationsession between the client device(s) 214, 216 and the A/V device 210, asdescribed below with respect to block B1622.

The process 1600, at block B1622, initiates a two-way communication withthe A/V device. For example, the processor(s) 702 of the clientdevice(s) 214, 216, using the communication module 710, may initiate atwo-way communication session with the A/V device 210. In response, theA/V device 210 and/or the network device 1602 may receive the two-waycommunication request from the client device(s) 214, 216. Once thetwo-way communication session is established, the voice/sound input atthe client device(s) 214, 216, as captured by the microphone(s) 706 ofthe client device(s) 214, 216, may be transmitted as audio data to theA/V device 210 for output by the speaker(s) 330. Additionally, thevoice/sound input at the A/V device 210, as captured by themicrophone(s) 328 of the A/V device 210, may be transmitted as audiodata 408 to the client device 214, 216 for output by the speaker(s) 708of the client device(s) 214, 216.

FIG. 17 is a signal diagram of a process 1700 for initiating avideo-on-demand session for A/V content from an A/V device 210,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The networkdevice 1702 may include one or more of the hub device 202, the VA device208, and/or any of the components of the network(s) of servers/backenddevices 220 (e.g., the backend server 224, the backend API 226, thestorage devices 222, etc.).

The process 1700, at block B1702, receives a live view request. Forexample, the processor(s) 702 of the client device 214, 216 may receivea live view request from a user of the client device 214, 216. The liveview request may include an input to user interface (e.g., the display716, such as within a GUI 718 on the display 716, one or more physicalbuttons of the client device 214, 216, etc.).

The process 1700, at signal S1704, transmits a live view request. Forexample, the live request may be transmitted, by the processor(s) 702and using a communication module 710 of the client device 214, 216, tothe network device 1702. In response, network device 1702 may receive,by the respective processor(s) and using the respective communicationmodule(s), the live view request. In some embodiments, the live viewrequest may be transmitted directly to the A/V device 210 from theclient device 214, 216.

The process 1700, at signal S1706, transmits the live request. Forexample, network device 1702 may transmit (or forward), by therespective processor(s) and using the respective communicationmodule(s), the live view request to the A/V device 210. In response, theprocessor(s) 310 of the A/V device 210, using the communication module312, may receive the live view request.

The process 1700, at block B1708, captures video data and/or audio data.For example, in response to receiving the live view request, theprocessor(s) 310 of the A/V device 210 may cause the camera 314 torecord the image data 406 and/or the microphone(s) 328 to record theaudio data 408.

The process 1700, at signal S1710, transmits the video data and/or theaudio data. This process may be similar to that of signal S1608 of theprocess 1600, described above.

The process 1700, at block B1712, stores the video data and/or the audiodata. This process may be similar to that of block B1610 of the process1600, described above.

The process 1700, at block S1714, transmits the video data and/or theaudio data to the client device. This process may be similar to that ofsignal S1618 of the process 1600, described above.

The process 1700, at block B1716, displays the video data and/or outputsthe audio data. This process may be similar to that of block B1620 ofthe process 1600, described above.

The process 1700, at block B1718, initiates two-way communication withthe A/V device 210. This process may be similar to that of block B1622of the process 1600, described above.

FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram of a client device 1802 on whichthe present embodiments may be implemented, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. The client device(s) 214, 216 described withreference to FIG. 2 may include some or all of the components and/orfunctionality of the client device 1802. The client device 1802 maycomprise, for example, a smartphone.

With reference to FIG. 18, the client device 1802 includes a processor1804, a memory 1806, a user interface 1808, a communication module 1810,and a dataport 1812. These components are communicatively coupledtogether by an interconnect bus 1814. The processor 1804 may include anyprocessor used in smartphones and/or portable computing devices, such asan ARM processor (a processor based on the RISC (reduced instruction setcomputer) architecture developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM)). Insome embodiments, the processor 2004 may include one or more otherprocessors, such as one or more conventional microprocessors, and/or oneor more supplementary co-processors, such as math co-processors.

The memory 1806 may include both operating memory, such as random-accessmemory (RAM), as well as data storage, such as read-only memory (ROM),hard drives, flash memory, or any other suitable memory/storage element.The memory 1806 may include removable memory elements, such as aCompactFlash card, a MultiMediaCard (MMC), and/or a Secure Digital (SD)card. In some embodiments, the memory 2006 may comprise a combination ofmagnetic, optical, and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, forexample, RAM, ROM, flash drive, and/or a hard disk or drive. Theprocessor 1804 and the memory 1806 each may be, for example, locatedentirely within a single device, or may be connected to each other by acommunication medium, such as a USB port, a serial port cable, a coaxialcable, an Ethernet-type cable, a telephone line, a radio frequencytransceiver, or other similar wireless or wired medium or combination ofthe foregoing. For example, the processor 1804 may be connected to thememory 1806 via the dataport 1812.

The user interface 1808 may include any user interface or presentationelements suitable for a smartphone and/or a portable computing device,such as a keypad, a display screen, a touchscreen, a microphone, and aspeaker. The communication module 1810 is configured to handlecommunication links between the client device 1802 and other, externaldevices or receivers, and to route incoming/outgoing data appropriately.For example, inbound data from the dataport 1812 may be routed throughthe communication module 1810 before being directed to the processor1804, and outbound data from the processor 1804 may be routed throughthe communication module 1810 before being directed to the dataport1812. The communication module 1810 may include one or more transceivermodules capable of transmitting and receiving data, and using, forexample, one or more protocols and/or technologies, such as GSM, UMTS(3GSM), IS-95 (CDMA one), IS-2000 (CDMA 2000), LTE, FDMA, TDMA, W-CDMA,CDMA, OFDMA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or any other protocol and/or technology.

The dataport 1812 may be any type of connector used for physicallyinterfacing with a smartphone and/or a portable computing device, suchas a mini-USB port or an IPHONE®/IPOD® 30-pin connector or LIGHTNING®connector. In other embodiments, the dataport 1812 may include multiplecommunication channels for simultaneous communication with, for example,other processors, servers, and/or client terminals.

The memory 1806 may store instructions for communicating with othersystems, such as a computer. The memory 1806 may store, for example, aprogram (e.g., computer program code) adapted to direct the processor1804 in accordance with the present embodiments. The instructions alsomay include program elements, such as an operating system. Whileexecution of sequences of instructions in the program causes theprocessor 2204 to perform the process steps described herein, hard-wiredcircuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with,software/firmware instructions for implementation of the processes ofthe present embodiments. Thus, the present embodiments are not limitedto any specific combination of hardware and software.

FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. The computer system 1902 maybe embodied in at least one of a personal computer (also referred to asa desktop computer) 1904, a portable computer (also referred to as alaptop or notebook computer) 1906, and/or a server 1908 is a computerprogram and/or a machine that waits for requests from other machines orsoftware (clients) and responds to them. A server typically processesdata. The purpose of a server is to share data and/or hardware and/orsoftware resources among clients. This architecture is called theclient-server model. The clients may run on the same computer or mayconnect to the server over a network. Examples of computing serversinclude database servers, file servers, mail servers, print servers, webservers, game servers, and application servers. The term server may beconstrued broadly to include any computerized process that shares aresource to one or more client processes.

The computer system 1902 may execute at least some of the operationsdescribed above. The computer system 2102 may include at least oneprocessor 1910, memory 1912, at least one storage device 1914, andinput/output (I/O) devices 1916. Some or all of the components 1910,1912, 1914, 1916 may be interconnected via a system bus 1918. Theprocessor 1910 may be single- or multi-threaded and may have one or morecores. The processor 1910 execute instructions, such as those stored inthe memory 1912 and/or in the storage device 1914. Information may bereceived and output using one or more I/O devices 1916.

The memory 1912 may store information, and may be a computer-readablemedium, such as volatile or non-volatile memory. The storage device(s)1914 may provide storage for the system 2102 and, in some embodiments,may be a computer-readable medium. In various aspects, the storagedevice(s) 1914 may be a flash memory device, a hard disk device, anoptical disk device, a tape device, or any other type of storage device.

The I/O devices 1916 may provide input/output operations for the system1902. The I/O devices 1916 may include a keyboard, a pointing device,and/or a microphone. The I/O devices 1916 may further include a displayunit for displaying graphical user interfaces, a speaker, and/or aprinter. External data may be stored in one or more accessible externaldatabases 1920.

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in digital electronic circuitry, and/or in computerhardware, firmware, software, and/or in combinations thereof. Featuresof the present embodiments may be implemented in a computer programproduct tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as amachine-readable storage device, and/or in a propagated signal, forexecution by a programmable processor. Embodiments of the present methodsteps may be performed by a programmable processor executing a programof instructions to perform functions of the described implementations byoperating on input data and generating output.

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processorcoupled to receive data and/or instructions from, and to transmit dataand/or instructions to, a data storage system, at least one inputdevice, and at least one output device. A computer program may include aset of instructions that may be used, directly or indirectly, in acomputer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result.A computer program may be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it may be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.

Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions mayinclude, for example, both general and special purpose processors,and/or the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind ofcomputer. Generally, a processor may receive instructions and/or datafrom a read only memory (ROM), or a random-access memory (RAM), or both.Such a computer may include a processor for executing instructions andone or more memories for storing instructions and/or data.

Generally, a computer may also include, or be operatively coupled tocommunicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing datafiles. Such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disksand/or removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and/or optical disks.Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and/or data may include all forms of non-volatile memory,including for example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal harddisks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, orincorporated in, one or more ASICs (application-specific integratedcircuits).

To provide for interaction with a user, the features of the presentembodiments may be implemented on a computer having a display device,such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displayinginformation to the user. The computer may further include a keyboard, apointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, and/or a touchscreen bywhich the user may provide input to the computer.

The features of the present embodiments may be implemented in a computersystem that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, and/orthat includes a middleware component, such as an application server oran Internet server, and/or that includes a front-end component, such asa client computer having a graphical user interface (GUI) and/or anInternet browser, or any combination of these. The components of thesystem may be connected by any form or medium of digital datacommunication, such as a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks may include, for example, a LAN (local areanetwork), a WAN (wide area network), and/or the computers and networksforming the Internet.

The computer system may include clients and servers. A client and servermay be remote from each other and interact through a network, such asthose described herein. The relationship of client and server may ariseby virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers andhaving a client-server relationship to each other.

As used herein, the phrases “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least oneof A, B, or C,” and “A, B, and/or C” are synonymous and mean logical“OR” in the computer science sense. Thus, each of the foregoing phrasesshould be understood to read on (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (Band C), and (A and B and C), where A, B, and C are variablesrepresenting elements or features of the claim. Also, while theseexamples are described with three variables (A, B, C) for ease ofunderstanding, the same interpretation applies to similar phrases inthese formats with any number of two or more variables.

In a first aspect, a method for requesting help during an emergencyevent comprises: receiving data generated by an audio/video recordingand communication device (A/V device), the data representing video ofthe emergency event; processing the data to display, on a display areaof a display of a client device, the video of the emergency event;receiving, by the client device and via the display, an input; inresponse to receiving the input, displaying a selectable user interface(UI) item at a first location on the display, the first locationoverlying the display area of the display; receiving an input at thefirst location on the display; in response to receiving the input at thefirst location on the display: transmitting, to a network, and forfurther transmission to at least one law enforcement agency, first datarepresentative of a link to the video of the emergency event, seconddata representative of a request for help, and third data representativeof a location of the A/V device; and transmitting, to the network, andfor further transmission to one or more other client devices associatedwith a geographic area that includes the location of the A/V device,fourth data representative of the link, fifth data representative of therequest for help, and sixth data representative of the location.

An embodiment of the first aspect further comprises: before transmittingthe second data representative of the request for help or the fifth datarepresentative of the request for help: displaying at a second locationon the display, a message describing the emergency event; receiving aninput at the second location on the display; receiving further inputmodifying the message; modifying the message based on the further inputto generate a modified message; and transmitting seventh datarepresentative of the modified message to the network for furthertransmission to the at least one law enforcement agency and/or the oneor more other client devices.

Another embodiment of the first aspect further comprises: in response toreceiving the input at the first location on the display, transmittingseventh data representative of the link and the request for help to thenetwork for further transmission to a security monitoring centermonitoring an alarm system installed at the location.

Another embodiment of the first aspect further comprises: in response toreceiving the input at the first location on the display, activatinganother A/V device at the location to record video.

Another embodiment of the first aspect further comprises: in response toreceiving the input at the first location on the display, sending a textmessage to an emergency telephone number, the text message comprisingseventh data representative of the link, eighth data representative ofthe request for help, and ninth data representative of the location ofthe A/V device.

Another embodiment of the first aspect further comprises: providing anexact address of a property where the A/V device is installed as thethird data representative of the location of the A/V device fortransmission to the at least one law enforcement agency; and providingan approximate location of the property as the sixth data representativeof the location for transmission to the one or more other clientdevices.

In a second aspect, a method for requesting help during an emergencyevent comprises: receiving data generated by an audio/video recordingand communication device (A/V device), the data representing video ofthe emergency event; processing the data to display, on a display areaof a display of a client device, the video of the emergency event and afirst selectable user interface (UI) item at a first location on thedisplay, the first location overlying the display area of the display;in response to receiving an input at the first location on the display,displaying, at a second location on the display, a message forrequesting help, and displaying, at a third location on the display, asecond selectable UI item, the third location overlying the display areaof the display; receiving an input at the second location on thedisplay; receiving further input modifying the message;

receiving an input at the third location on the display; and in responseto receiving the input at the third location on the display,transmitting, to a network, and for further transmission to at least onelaw enforcement agency, first data representative of a link to the videoof the emergency event, second data representative of the modifiedmessage, and third data representative of a location of the A/V device.

An embodiment of the second aspect further comprises: in response toreceiving the input at the third location on the display, transmitting,to the network, and for further transmission to a security monitoringcenter monitoring an alarm system installed at the location, fourth datarepresentative of the link, fifth data representative of the modifiedmessage, and sixth data representative of the location.

Another embodiment of the second aspect further comprises: in responseto receiving the input at the third location on the display,transmitting, to the network, and for providing moderation and furthertransmission to one or more pre-designated client devices, fourth datarepresentative of the link, fifth data representative of the modifiedmessage, and sixth data representative of the location.

Another embodiment of the second aspect further comprises: prior toreceiving the data generated by the A/V device, selecting a geographicarea that includes the location of the A/V device; and assigning one ormore other client devices associated with the geographic area as thepre-designated client devices.

Another embodiment of the second aspect further comprises: prior toreceiving the data generated by the A/V device, selecting a geographicarea that includes the location of the A/v device; and assigning one ormore other client devices outside the geographic area as thepre-designated client devices.

Another embodiment of the second aspect further comprises: in responseto receiving the input at the third location on the display,transmitting, to the network, and for further transmission as a pushnotification to one or more other client devices associated with ageographic area that includes the location of the A/V device, fourthdata representative of the link, fifth data representative of themodified message, and sixth data representative of the location.

In an embodiment of the second aspect, the A/V device is a first A/Vdevice, the method further comprises, in response to receiving the inputat the third location on the display, activating a second A/V device atthe location to record video.

Another embodiment of the second aspect further comprises: afteractivating the second A/V device, receiving data generated by the secondA/V device, the data representing video of the emergency event; andprocessing the data from the first and the second A/V devices tosimultaneously display, on the display area of the display of the clientdevice, the video of the emergency event received from the first andsecond A/V devices.

In a third aspect, a method for requesting help during an emergencyevent, the method comprises: receiving data generated by an audio/videorecording and communication device (A/V device), the data representingvideo of the emergency event; processing the data to display, on adisplay area of a display of a client device, the video of the emergencyevent; receiving, by the client device and via the display, an input; inresponse to receiving the input, displaying a selectable user interface(UI) item at a first location on the display, the first locationoverlying the display area of the display; receiving an input at thefirst location on the display; in response to receiving the input at thefirst location on the display, transmitting, to a network, and forfurther transmission to at least one law enforcement agency, first datarepresentative of a link to the video of the emergency event, seconddata representative of a default message requesting help, and third datarepresentative of a location of the A/V device; displaying, on a seconddisplay area of the display of the client device, the default messagerequesting help; receiving one or more inputs modifying the message tocreate a modified message requesting help; displaying options forproviding an exact address and an approximate location for a location ofthe A/V device; in response to receiving a selection of one of theoptions, transmitting, to the network, and for further transmission toone or more other client devices associated with a geographic area thatincludes the location of the A/V device, fourth data representative ofthe link, fifth data representative of the modified message requestinghelp, and sixth data representative of the location of the A/V device.

An embodiment of the third aspect further comprises: in response toreceiving a selection of one of the options, transmitting, to thenetwork, and for further transmission to the at least one lawenforcement agency, seventh data representative of the link, eighth datarepresentative of the modified message requesting help, and ninth datarepresentative of the location of the A/V device.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises: when theoption for providing the approximate location of the A/V device isselected, in response to receiving of the selection of the option forproviding the approximate location of the A/V device: transmitting, tothe other client devices associated with the geographic area, theapproximate location of the A/V device as the sixth data representativeof the location of the A/V device; and transmitting, to the lawenforcement agency, the exact address of the A/V device location as theninth data representative of the location of the A/V device.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises: when theoption for providing the exact address of the A/V device location isselected, in response to receiving of the selection of the option forproviding the exact address of the A/V device location: transmitting, tothe other client devices associated with the geographic area, the exactaddress of the A/V device location as the sixth data representative ofthe location of the A/V device; and transmitting, to the law enforcementagency, the exact address of the A/V device location as the ninth datarepresentative of the location of the A/V device.

In an embodiment of the third aspect, the A/V device is a first A/Vdevice, the method further comprises: in response to receiving theselection of one of the options, activating a second A/V device at thelocation to record video; receiving data generated by the second A/Vdevice, the data representing video of the emergency event; andprocessing the data from the first and the second A/V devices tosimultaneously display, on the display area of the display of the clientdevice, the video of the emergency event received from the first andsecond A/V devices.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises: in response toreceiving an input at the first location on the display: sending a textmessage to an emergency telephone number, the text message comprisingseventh data representative of the link, eighth data representative ofthe default message requesting help, and ninth data representative ofthe exact address of the A/V device location.

The above description presents the best mode contemplated for carryingout the present embodiments, and of the manner and process of practicingthem, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable anyperson skilled in the art to which they pertain to practice theseembodiments. The present embodiments are, however, susceptible tomodifications and alternate constructions from those discussed abovethat are fully equivalent. Consequently, the present invention is notlimited to the particular embodiments disclosed. On the contrary, thepresent invention covers all modifications and alternate constructionscoming within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, the steps in the processes described herein need not beperformed in the same order as they have been presented, and may beperformed in any order(s). Further, steps that have been presented asbeing performed separately may in alternative embodiments be performedconcurrently. Likewise, steps that have been presented as beingperformed concurrently may in alternative embodiments be performedseparately.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a clientdevice, video of an event; displaying, on a display of a client device,the video of the event; receiving, by the client device, a first input;in response to receiving the first input, displaying a selectable userinterface (UI) item at a first location on the display, the selectableUI item at the first location overlying the video of the event;receiving a second input corresponding to the first location on thedisplay; in response to receiving the second input: transmitting, to afirst device, first data representative of a Uniform Resource Locator(URL) to the video of the event, second data representative of a requestfor help, and third data representative of a location of a camera thatcaptured the video of the event; and transmitting, to a second device,fourth data representative of the URL, fifth data representative of therequest for help, and sixth data representative of the location of thecamera.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is associatedwith a law enforcement agency, wherein the second device is a designatedclient device assignable by the user, wherein transmitting fourth datacomprises generating a short message service (SMS) message.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising, before transmitting the seconddata representative of the request for help or the fifth datarepresentative of the request for help: displaying at a second locationon the display, a message describing the event; receiving a third inputmodifying the message; modifying the message based on the third input togenerate a modified message; and transmitting seventh datarepresentative of the modified message to the first device or the seconddevice.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response toreceiving the second input, transmitting seventh data representative ofthe URL and eighth data representative of the request for help to asecurity monitoring center monitoring an alarm system installed at thelocation of the camera.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, inresponse to receiving the second input, activating another cameracoupled to a Local Area Network (LAN) of the camera to record additionalvideo.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: in response toreceiving the second input, sending a text message to an emergencytelephone number, the text message comprising seventh datarepresentative of the URL, eighth data representative of the request forhelp, and ninth data representative of the location of the camera. 7.The method of claim 1 further comprising: sending a street address of aproperty where the camera is installed as the third data representativeof the location of the camera for transmission to the first device, thefirst device being associated with a law enforcement agency; and sendingan approximate location of the property as the sixth data representativeof the location of the camera for transmission to the second device, thesecond device being another client device.
 8. An apparatus comprising:at least one processor; and memory storing computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe apparatus to: receive video generated by a camera; display, on adisplay, the video; in response to receiving a first input, display anicon at a first location on the display of the video; receiving a secondinput of the icon being selected; in response to receiving the secondinput: transmitting, to a first device associated with a law enforcementagency, first data representative of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) tothe video, second data representative of a request for help, and thirddata representative of a location of the camera that captured the video;and transmitting, to a second device associated with a geographic areathat includes the location of the camera, fourth data representative ofthe URL, fifth data representative of the request for help, and sixthdata representative of the location of the camera.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions comprise furtherinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, furthercause the apparatus to: display at a second location on the display, amessage describing the video captured by the camera; receive third inputto modify the message; modify the message to generate a modifiedmessage; and transmit seventh data representative of the modifiedmessage to the first device or the second device.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions comprise furtherinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, furthercause the apparatus to: in response to receiving the second input,transmit seventh data representative of the URL and the request for helpto a security monitoring center monitoring an alarm system installed atthe location of the camera.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions comprise further instructions that,when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatusto: in response to receiving the second input, activate another cameracoupled to a Local Area Network (LAN) of the camera to record additionalvideo.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computer-executableinstructions comprise further instructions that, when executed by the atleast one processor, further cause the apparatus to: in response toreceiving the second input, send a text message to an emergencytelephone number, the text message comprising seventh datarepresentative of the URL, eighth data representative of the request forhelp, and ninth data representative of the location of the camera. 13.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructionscomprise further instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, further cause the apparatus to: send a street address of aproperty where the camera is installed as the third data representativeof the location of the camera for transmission to the first device; andsend an approximate location of the property as the sixth datarepresentative of the location of the camera for transmission to thesecond device.
 14. A method comprising: establishing, by a clientdevice, a communication link with an audio/video recording andcommunication device (A/V device); receiving, by the client device,streaming video from the A/V device; displaying, on a display of theclient device, the streaming video; displaying a graphical userinterface (GUI) element on the display with the streaming video; and inresponse to receiving an input associated with the GUI element,transmitting, to a first device associated with a law enforcementagency, first data representative of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) tothe streaming video, second data representative of a request for help,and third data representative of a location of the A/V recording andcommunication device that captured the streaming video.
 15. The methodof claim 14 comprising: transmitting, to a second device associated witha geographic area that includes the location of the A/V device, fourthdata representative of the URL, fifth data representative of the requestfor help, and sixth data representative of the location of the A/Vdevice.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the GUI element comprises apanic button, wherein the panic button is displayed by overlaying thepanic button over the video stream.
 17. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising, before transmitting the second data representative of therequest for help: displaying on the display, a message describing thevideo stream; receiving an input to modify the message; modifying themessage based on the input to generate a modified message; andtransmitting fourth data representative of the modified message to thefirst device.
 18. The method of claim 14 further comprising, in responseto receiving the selection of the GUI element, transmitting fourth datarepresentative of the URL and the request for help to a securitymonitoring center monitoring an alarm system installed at the locationof the A/V recording and communication device.
 19. The method of claim14 further comprising, in response to receiving the selection of the GUIelement, activating another A/V recording and communication device atthe location of the A/V recording and communication device to recordvideo.
 20. The method of claim 14 further comprising: in response toreceiving the selection of the GUI element, sending a text message to anemergency telephone number, the text message comprising fourth datarepresentative of the URL, fifth data representative of the request forhelp, and sixth data representative of the location of the A/V recordingand communication device.